Being involved in a car accident can be a frustrating experience. This is especially true if you sustained serious injuries as a result of someone else’s negligence. Fortunately, depending on your personal circumstances, you can file a claim to receive compensation for your injury. So if you’ve been injured in a car crash, below are the five kinds of compensation you may be entitled to:
- Medical Expenses
Depending on the impact of the collision, you could sustain minor or serious injuries. Regardless of the severity of the injury, you must seek medical attention immediately for proper diagnosis and treatment. More often than not, car accident injuries don’t appear right away following the crash. As such, you should have yourself examined by a physician if you believe you sustained an injury.
Once you’re diagnosed with a specific injury, you could incur the following medical expenses as a result of a car accident:
- Ambulance fees
- Medical consultations with your doctors
- Medical treatments and therapies required
- Accessories such as heat pads or crutches
As you can see, there are many medical expenses you’ll have to take care of when you’re involved in a car accident. Thus, to recover the money you’ve spent for these expenses, you should negotiate with the party at fault to seek compensation for the expenses you’ve incurred.
- Lost Wages
If you suffered a serious car accident injury, you could be forced to take some time off work to give yourself enough time to heal and recover. Your inability to work could be caused by problems with mobility, time spent in the hospital, and other related factors. But at the end of the day, you end up losing your wages. This is where filing a personal injury claim comes into play. This claim allows you to obtain financial compensation for the lost wages you suffered as a result of an injury caused by a car collision.
On the other hand, if you want to make sure you receive the right amount of compensation, you’ll need the assistance of the best car accident lawyer Toronto could offer or wherever you may be located. They can help you evaluate the facts of your case and determine how much you can receive to cover your lost wages. Furthermore, they can also assist you in proving that the injury has affected your ability to work and earn money today and in the future.
- Pain And Suffering
Another kind of compensation you may be entitled as an injured party in a car accident is one pertaining to pain and suffering. Due to the injury you sustained, you may have to deal with mental or physical distress arising from the accident. This could include the physical pain you endured from your injury and the emotional pain you felt from what happened.
That’s why under the personal injury law, the pain and suffering you suffered as a result of the accident may be compensable to some degree. However, you should note that not all states award compensation for pain and suffering in the same manner. As such, you need to hire a lawyer to help you make a claim and receive this kind of compensation as quickly as possible.
- Property Damage
If your vehicle has been damaged as a result of the collision, you’re also eligible to recover compensation for property damage. Since you need to get your car fixed after the accident, you have to spend a considerable amount of money to cover the repairs. In such a case, you may end up dealing with financial setbacks, especially if you have few savings to cover unexpected expenses.
Thankfully, car accident victims like you are eligible to file a claim to receive compensation for property damage. Just medical expenses, you and your lawyer may not have a hard time proving these costs since they’re accounted for in the form of receipts and other related documents.
- Punitive Damages
Depending on the state you’re living in, you may also be entitled to receive compensation for punitive damages. Also known as exemplary damages, punitive damages are awarded to victims of car accidents to penalize the driver and prevent future negligent behavior. This usually happens when the other driver was intoxicated while driving, which caused the accident on the road.
If you believe the accident was caused by the other driver’s negligent behavior, including driving under the influence, you may want to seek compensation for punitive damages. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that the award of punitive damages you may receive is more likely calculated by the court and the applicable laws in your state.
Conclusion
There’s nothing more traumatizing than being injured in a car accident. But with the compensation you can recover, you can quickly get back on your feet in time and move on from this unfortunate event in your life. Just make sure to fight for your rights by hiring a lawyer to help you file a personal injury claim and get compensated for the injury.
