If you suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you could be owed significant compensation for your medical bills and other costs. To determine the amount of compensation — otherwise known as “damages” — it’s important to assess the full extent of your injury and how it affects your life now and in the future.
Every case is different, so you should speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer about your specific case. If you have questions about insurance and what to do after a crash, please see our Car Accident FAQ.
Learn More About Personal Injury Compensation
Compensation for medical expenses
These days, any type of medical treatment is very expensive. You don’t want to have to pay medical bills for injuries that someone else caused. With a personal injury claim, you can seek compensation for various medical costs, such as emergency room care, ongoing hospital treatment, doctor’s visits, surgeries, prescription drugs, X-rays and other medical scans.
Compensation for lost income
A serious injury can keep you from working. With a personal injury claim, you can seek compensation for lost income. You may also be owed compensation for lost future earnings if your injury results in a disability that prevents you from working.
Compensation for emotional distress
Not all damages are easily quantifiable in monetary terms. Still, you may be owed monetary compensation for emotional distress / mental anguish, as well as pain and suffering. If you have a spouse, he or she might be entitled to loss of consortium damages. This could be possible if, due to your injuries, you can no longer provide your spouse with the same level of companionship as before.
IMPORTANT: Before signing anything or even verbally agreeing to an insurance settlement, talk to a personal injury attorney. Insurance companies are quick to offer “lowball” settlements that come nowhere close to covering the full cost an injury. A personal injury attorney can help you get all the compensation you need and deserve.