The damages that you will be able to collect after a motor vehicle accident will vary from case to case. You will need to consider the specifics of your case and the losses you suffered. It’s also important to consider the other party’s level of negligence.
Motor vehicle accidents often leave victims facing substantial financial burdens. Luckily for accident victims, filing an accident claim with the help of an experienced Denver car accident lawyer can help them recover monetary compensation. Victims can recover compensation for medical bills, injuries, lost wages due to the inability to return to work for accident-related injuries, property damage, etc.
If you try to handle your case independently or lack adequate legal counsel, you risk receiving a much lower settlement for damages than you deserve. A lawyer can help you gather the correct information to get you the total compensation you are entitled to. Read on to learn more about the types of damages you can collect after a car accident.
What Are Car Accident Damages?
Damages are monetary compensation that victims can receive in a settlement or from winning a lawsuit. In other words, you are entitled to seek financial compensation to make up for injuries and losses that you’ve sustained in a car accident.
There are two main categories of damages: economic and non-economic. Whereas economic damages refer to objectively verifiable monetary losses like medical bills, non-economic losses refer to subjective, non-monetary losses like pain and suffering. You may be able to collect for both economic and non-economic damages depending on the circumstances of your case.
Types of Damages in Car Accidents
Here are some of the most common damages in personal injury cases after a car accident. While these are the most common, they are not an all-encompassing list. You could pursue financial recovery for almost any costs that you incurred because of the accident.
Medical Bills
Medical Bills are some of the most direct damages and easiest to calculate since they have fixed amounts and trackable records. Medical bills compensation can include expenses like:
- Surgery bills
- Cost of hospitalization
- Ambulance fees
- Travel costs to and from the hospital and other medical treatment
- Medical attention from professionals
- Doctors appointments
- Any necessary medical devices
- Medications, including prescription and over the counter
- Payment for therapy or rehab
- At-home care costs
If you had more extensive injuries after a car accident, you would likely have more costly medical bills. However, you can usually recover all costs related to your physical recovery through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit.
Lost Wages
Sometimes an accident can prevent you from returning to work. If you sustained injuries that made you unable to return to work, you can recover the lost wages, bonuses, and promotions that you would have earned.
A car accident can leave a victim permanently disabled in more severe cases. In such cases, the victim may never be able to have the same job as they did before the accident. Or they may be unable to work at all. You can receive monetary compensation for any changes in your employment, ability to work, or earning capacity. For example, if you had to take a lower-paying job due to accident injuries, you can seek recovery for the discrepancy in wages.
Property Damage
Property damages, like medical bills, are relatively easy to calculate since they can be objectively measured. For example, if you had to repair any damage to your car, you can recover compensation for the repair bills. In addition, if the insurance company deemed your vehicle as totaled, you could qualify for payment for the full amount of your car or the cost of a new car.
Let’s say you were unable to drive your car after the accident due to the damages. If you had to use public transportation, take cabs, or use ridesharing services, you could also seek compensation for those expenses.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering are non-economic damages that are more subjective and slightly more difficult to quantify with monetary value. Unlike medical bills or car repair, pain and suffering don’t come with a receipt. However, you may be entitled to receive compensation for pain and suffering in a personal injury lawsuit.
Here are some examples of pain and suffering damages:
- Physical pain
- Mental distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of interest or happiness in activities you enjoyed before the accident.
- Disability or disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
- And more. Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list – pain and suffering can essentially account for any way that your injuries have negatively impacted your life.
Funeral and Burial Costs
In the most tragic cases, the lives of loved ones are lost to car accidents. If you or someone you know has lost a loved one to a car accident, you might be able to recover damages in a wrongful death lawsuit. In a wrongful death suit, you would be able to recover the above expenses and any costs related to your loved one’s death. Some examples of costs relating to the loss of a loved one would include:
- Funeral costs
- Burial costs
- Loss of financial and emotional support
- Loss of guidance and companionship
- Lost income
- Reduced income
- Reduced saving capacity
A Denver car accident lawyer will be able to help you determine which damages you can claim for your case.
How to Collect Damages for a Car Accident
To college damages in a car accident claim or case, you must be able to establish liability. Establishing liability involved proving that the other party was negligent and their negligence caused your injuries. Here are the four elements of showing the other party’s negligence:
- The other party had a duty of care (example: all drivers have a duty of care to other drivers and passengers on the road)
- The other party breached their duty of care (example: the at-fault party breached their duty of care by running a red light)
- The other party’s breach caused the accident (example: by running the red light, the other party is at fault for the accident)
- The accident did cause your injuries and damages.
If you can prove these four points, you will successfully establish the other party’s negligence. Your Denver car accident attorney can help you with this process by collecting all necessary evidence for your case.
Contact a Denver Car Accident Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one has incurred losses in a car accident that was someone else’s fault, you have a right to recover compensation. It may feel like your life has been completely turned upside down after an unexpected tragedy that leaves you with injuries, medical bills, stress, and more. However, it would be best if you did not have to deal with such a traumatic experience alone.
Our Denver car accident lawyers have handled numerous cases and helped victims recover compensation after car accidents. We take a personalized approach to every case, which allows us to provide tailored support. In addition, we will fight tirelessly to ensure you get a fair settlement. Call us today for a free consultation.
