Recoverable Damages After a Fort Worth Car Accident
The aftermath of a car accident can be challenging, especially dealing with severe injuries and property damage. Fortunately, injured individuals may be eligible to recover compensation for their damages through a civil lawsuit. The purpose of a claim or lawsuit following a car accident is to place you in the position that you would have been in had the incident never taken place. While this is impossible from a practical point of view, any compensation package that you receive should take all your losses into account.
A knowledgeable motor vehicle collision attorney could evaluate the full impact of your crash and your recoverable damages after a Fort Worth car accident. Individuals may be eligible to collect compensation for damages such as the payment of medical bills, property damage, reimbursement for any lost earnings, and even payments for pain or suffering.
Common Injuries in a Motor Vehicle Collision
Car accidents are a subset of claims that fall under the umbrella of personal injury claims. It follows that a person cannot make a claim for compensation without enduring a physical injury. These injuries must be serious enough to warrant medical treatment, but do not need to be life-threatening.
Common examples of injuries that justify a claim for damages following a car accident include:
- Sprains to the neck or back
- Spinal cord damage
- Organ damage
- Severe head trauma
- Cuts and scrapes
- Broken bones and fractures
- Burns
Any claim for damages following a car accident will demand the full cost of all necessary medical treatment. This always includes the costs for all past treatment. However, in cases where a plaintiff suffers a permanent disability, this can also include an estimated cost for all future care. The costs for medical treatment, therefore, form the core of recoverable damages that Fort Worth car accident plaintiffs collect.
Types of Economic Damages
Once a person can establish that they have suffered a physical injury as the result of another driver’s negligence, they can claim their economic losses in a claim for damages.
Plaintiffs may suffer lost wages following an automobile collision. If an injury is severe enough to require medical attention, that plaintiff may not be able to immediately return to work. If the injury is so serious as to inflict a permanent disability, a claim can demand compensation for all lost future earning potential. An attorney in the area could help individuals to measure the economic losses that result from a Fort Worth car accident.
Understanding Non-Economic Losses
Perhaps the most difficult to measure losses following a car accident are those that affect an individual’s quality of life. These types of damages are known as non-economic damages. These are payments intended to provide compensation for the less tangible losses following an accident. For example, one type of non-economic damages includes pain and suffering. Individuals may be eligible to recover compensation for mental trauma, loss of quality of life, or PTSD.
Plaintiffs are fortunate as laws in Fort Worth and throughout the state do not place a cap on the damages after a car accident or similar personal injury. The law also allows for juries to award punitive damages intended to punish defendants for especially reckless or egregious behavior that leads to injuries. It is best to speak to an experienced attorney in the community to learn about the various types of recoverable damages after a crash.
Call an Attorney About Recoverable Damages After a Fort Worth Car Accident
The purpose of a car accident claim for damages is to provide compensation for all your losses. Physical injuries and the resulting medical bills are essential to pursuing any case against a negligent defendant. However, the claim must make a full accounting of your losses to be fully effective. Injured claimants may be eligible to recover compensation for damages such as medical expenses, lost income, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life.
A motor vehicle collision attorney could help to provide more information about recoverable damages after a Fort Worth car accident. Contact a nearby car accident attorney immediately to protect your rights and get started on your cases.