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Car Crashes are a Common Occurrence, Don’t Let Them Financially Derail You and Your Family
Though car crashes happen every day across the nation, it can be challenging to determine what to expect following the collision if you haven’t been involved in one recently.
The financial and emotional aftermath of even minor car crashes can be significant. If the crash involves multiple vehicles, severe injuries, or death, the results can be devastating. Medical bills can add up quickly while you miss income at work due to tending to those injuries or healing. This equation can lead to financial distress for even the most secure individuals.
You may suddenly find yourself unable to sleep or enjoy the activities that you once did, or your mental health is significantly suffering as a result of the crash.
You don’t have to settle for what the insurance company is offering you. Before agreeing to what they are offering in any way, consult a Baton Rouge car wreck Injury lawyer.
Read below to learn more about what you should expect to pursue in compensation to ensure you aren’t agreeing to far less than you deserve.
Types of Damages to Pursue Following a Car Crash
You can expect to pursue a couple of types of damages following a car crash.
Economic damages are those that are tangible and, thus, more accessible to calculate. Economic damages consist of medical bills, prescriptions, costs to repair your vehicle, required therapy or other treatment for injuries while you heal, the amount of wages that you lost while you were tending to your medical needs, and more. Nearly all of these present a tangible bill for relatively easy calculations so you can offer a clear snapshot of what you deserve to be compensated.
What about the damages that aren’t tangible or don’t have a dollar amount directly related to them? Non-economic damages can include things like pain and suffering, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other issues. Though no direct dollar amount is attached to these damages, you should be thoroughly compensated for them.
Your experienced attorney can use a few methods to determine the total value of these damages so that you can accurately pursue them following a car crash.
The Multiplier Method
A standard method to calculate non-economic damages is the multiplier method. This method typically takes the total economic damages sustained and multiplies this number by a specific rate to determine what you rightfully deserve for your pain and suffering and other damages.
The rate can vary based on how severe the injuries were. For example, if you face rather minor discomforts or short-term challenges, the rate may be closer to 2, whereas if your injuries are severe or produce long-term challenges, the rate may be closer to 5.
The Daily Rate Method
The daily rate method involves calculating your expenses and earnings with your attorney. Once this calculation has been made, you can multiply it by the number of days that the crash has disrupted your life.
For example, if your daily rate were calculated at $300 a day based on your salary and expenses, you would take $300 multiplied by the number of days you missed work to address the injuries and settle your claim to find the total.
What Are Punitive Damages?
Another aspect to consider is if punitive damages apply to your case. Punitive damages won’t be realistic following every car crash, but they are an option in Louisiana. Punitive damages are reserved for cases where the offender acted negligently or intentionally hurt individuals.
Suppose the other driver involved was driving while under the influence, and that was the cause of the crash. In some cases, you could pursue punitive damages against the other driver as a result.
Punitive damages are meant to help inhibit others from exercising the same behavior and to punish those who are incredibly negligent or intentionally harmful.
What Evidence Supports Pain and Suffering
Keep in mind that pain and suffering are intangible but can still be sufficiently supported through evidence. You can obtain statements from your doctors stating that you did not require anxiety or depression medicine before the crash or that your emotional state has worsened. You can consult medical staff regarding sleep issues or other symptoms of stress that were not in existence before the crash.
You can consult friends and family and provide statements of how you have been affected by the crash and how your life is now different.
There may have been hobbies that you once thoroughly enjoyed, such as hunting or attending sporting events, and you now no longer participate in those events. These may be viable examples of the pain and suffering that you are enduring due to the car crash.
You Don’t Have to Face the Aftermath of a Car Crash Alone
If you have experienced a car crash, please understand that you don’t have to navigate the aftermath alone. You have rights, and you have options. Your family and your future should not be so adversely affected by the car crash that you are left in financial distress and have your future derailed as a result.
Contact our office today at (225) 263-6194 to schedule your free assessment. Our team works tirelessly to ensure our clients receive the highest level of legal representation available, regardless of the size of their case. We are diligent, thorough, compassionate, and determined to fight for our clients and help them get back on track following an unplanned event. Don’t settle for even a penny less than you and your family deserve.
We look forward to serving you.
