The number one question for most people involved in a car accident is how much their injuries are worth. Most victims only consider the extent of their injuries in calculating their claim’s worth. When you are injured in an accident that was not your fault, there are different compensation categories you should claim.
Without a reputable compensation law firm such as ROC Legal by your side, it is easy for an insurance company to take advantage of your lack of knowledge to fleece you. General, special and punitive damages are the three categories of compensation that apply in most car accident cases.
Special damages encompass your medical bills, damage to the car and lost wages. These require receipts as proof. Punitive damages apply in cases where the driver responsible for an accident’s causation is negligent and are meant as punishment. General or non-economic damages, meanwhile, are subjective and designed to compensate you for the non-monetary effects of an accident.
Here are the general damages that might apply to your case.
Pain and Suffering
This reimburses you for the discomfort and physical pain after your accident. The psychological and emotional impacts of the crash are also included in this damages category. These include anxiety, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder and loss of sleep, which might follow an accident. Doctor’s records and testimonies from people close to you can serve as proof of the pain and suffering you have undergone after the crash.
Loss of Consortium
This is the word used if a spouse is hurt in a car accident that affects his or her ability to enjoy a physical companionship including sexual relations. The common injuries that apply in loss of consortium compensation are paralysis and some form of disfigurements. These types of damages are not awarded to the plaintiff in a vehicle accident but rather his or her spouse. They are also only granted if the primary compensation claim is successful.
Loss of Enjoyment
Injuries after an accident might leave a victim unable to enjoy some hobbies he or she previously engaged in. They might also affect the victim’s extent to handle some day-to-day activities and thus, his or her overall enjoyment of life. Loss of enjoyment damages is designed to compensate you for these inconveniences. The exact amount awarded largely depends on the hobbies the injuries have stopped you from engaging in and whether the injuries are permanent or temporary.
Disfigurement
Some injuries leave you with permanent scars or disfigurements of some sort. If you are scarred or disfigured in some way, you deserve some form of reimbursement. Proof of this might be in the form of before and after photos of your body and medical reports detailing the scars.
Knowing the exact amount of your claim’s worth is not as easy as adding the totals of your receipts and wages lost. The above types of general damages prove this. You can only get an approximation of your claim’s worth once a lawyer evaluates your accident’s specifics. Choosing to go it alone in most cases only leaves you with no compensation or an amount far below what your case is worth.