5 Types of Damages You Can Sue for After a Car Accident

Car Accident

Car accidents can cause severe, life-changing injuries, including permanent disfigurement or disability and impairments like lack of coordination or balance, reduced cognitive capacity, paralysis, scarring, extremity or loss of limbs, and movement restrictions. They may also lead to death, pain and suffering, and financial woes.

If your car accident was due to someone else’s negligence, you could use them for damages. To start, you should familiarize yourself with the kind of compensation you can claim after an auto accident and their eligibility requirements. Here are five types of damages you can sue for after a car accident.

1. Property damages

Auto accidents usually leave victims with significant property damage. Your car accident claim may include vehicle and personal property damages or pet injuries. When a vehicle accident causes this kind of damage, you can seek compensation via a property damage lawsuit. You can prove your claim using photos of the accident scene or any other property destroyed in the accident.

A car accident attorney can help you get total compensation for your property damages because they’re skilled and experienced enough to conduct a comprehensive accident investigation, file a lawsuit, negotiate a settlement, keep you updated on your case’s progress and handle the insurance adjuster on your behalf.

2. Pain and suffering damages

Pain and suffering involve the mental and physical anguish victims suffer after the accident. It doesn’t include simple-to-calculate medical expenses. Rather, pain and suffering settlement caters to the overall loss of ability, comfort, opportunity, and happiness that follows severe injuries.

Emotional and physical pain and suffering may include daily life complications, current and future physical restrictions, lessened life expectancy, traumatic brain injuries, depression, loss of bodily function, and more. Hire a legal expert to justify your pain and suffering to the jury or insurance adjuster and calculate your damages.

3. Lost wages

Lost wages in a car accident lawsuit usually refer to the amount you would have earned from the accident time to the judgment or settlement date. To get compensation for lost wages, you must prove to the jury beyond any reasonable doubt that the injuries that kept you from work were directly related to your accident. These injuries shouldn’t be associated with any other event after the accident.

You can prove lost wages claim using a doctor’s note, pay stubs, and a verification letter from the employer. Once your claim is accepted, you can recover an amount equivalent to the wages you had gotten if you hadn’t missed work.

4. Medical expenses

When injured in a vehicle accident that wasn’t your fault, it might be challenging to determine the expenses for which the at-fault party’s insurance company is responsible. You’re entitled to compensation for your incurred medical costs, including hospitalization, diagnosis, and treatment. If you’re required to keep taking medication or visiting a physiotherapist, these costs should be included in your medical expenses claim.

5. Wrongful death damages

If a loved one dies in an auto accident that was somebody else’s fault, you might file a wrongful death claim against them. Every state has various rules regarding who can file a wrongful death claim. Familiarize yourself with your state’s wrongful death laws, including who can file the claim and the kind of damages available.

Endnote

Auto accidents due to other people’s negligence are eligible for compensation. Familiarize yourself with the damages you can sue for after a car accident.