What Kinds of Damages Can You Seek by Filing a Car Accident Claim?
Getting hurt in a car accident is utterly devastating physically and emotionally. What many people don’t realize, however, until they’re actually in such a scenario, is that it can also be devastating financially.
In the wake of a wreck, the damages can add up fast, until victims are struggling just to make ends meet. Fortunately, those who were hurt through no fault of their own are usually entitled to compensation.
As long as they meet the state’s serious injury threshold, they can bypass the no-fault system and pursue additional funds beyond what their personal injury protection covers. Let’s explore some of the most significant damages you can include in a personal injury claim in Florida:
1. Medical Expenses
Even with exceptional health insurance coverage, you can incur all kinds of out-of-pocket medical expenses while treating your car accident injuries. Examples include office copays, prescription costs, and home care fees.
Thankfully, all such expenses are recoverable. You can also include the cost of any anticipated procedures in your claim. If you sustained severe burns in the wreck, for example, you may need a number of reconstructive surgeries over the next several years.
2. Lost Wages
If you’re unable to work while recovering, you can account for all the wages you lose as a result when building your claim. And if your injuries are so severe that they keep you from ever working again, you can also seek compensation for the income you would have earned had you returned to the workforce and finished out your career to normal retirement age.
3. Objectively Verifiable Losses
Virtually all the expenses you wouldn’t have incurred had you not gotten hurt in the accident are recoverable. Examples include costs associated with:
- Reasonable and necessary replacement services,
- Home and vehicle modifications necessary for accommodating any long-term limitations stemming from the injuries,
- Alternative transportation, and
- Repairing or replacing your vehicle.
4. Pain and Suffering
Florida tort law recognizes the fact that car accident victims don’t just incur economic damages over the course of their recovery. In fact, the non-economic impact of their injuries can be even more devastating than their monetary losses. As such, they can seek compensation for things like emotional distress, diminished quality of life, and pain and suffering.
Since these damages are intangible, however, demonstrating their extent can pose a challenge. Luckily, a strategic personal injury attorney can help you come up with a host of ways to convince the insurance adjuster of them. You might be able to use detailed journal entries, for example, as well as statements from loved ones and evaluations for psychologists.
Speak with a Florida Car Accident Lawyer
If you need help with your car accident claim, look no further than Emerson Straw. Our tenacious team will guide your case through the proceedings, fighting tirelessly on your behalf every step of the way. Call (727) 821-1500 or submit the Contact Form on our website to set up a free initial consultation with a car accident attorney in Florida.