Types of Damages a Victim Can Recover After a Car Accident

A car accident can affect you in more ways than you can imagine—physically, emotionally, and financially. Whether you’ve been injured in a small accident or experienced a life-changing injury, understanding the categories of damages you’re entitled to can help ensure you receive the right compensation to recover.

Recoverable Damages After a Car Accident

There are two main types of damages that can be awarded in a personal injury lawsuit - compensatory damages and punitive damages. Here are the types of damages a victim may be able to receive after a car accident:

1. Medical Expenses

After a car accident, the biggest concern for most is medical bills. These costs can be anything from visits to the emergency room, ambulance bills, hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, and other treatments associated with your injury. If you’re facing these types of expenses, particularly in places like Westminster that have high traffic volumes and a high incidence of traffic accidents, you deserve to know what your legal options are.

An experienced Westminster car accident lawyer can assist you in adding up both your existing and future medical expenses in your injury claim. Thorough documentation of all medical treatments (past and future) can go a long way in helping you get the compensation you deserve.

2. Lost Wages

If you are unable to work because of your injuries, even temporarily, you should be compensated for lost wages. That means not just your base salary or hourly wages but also bonuses, commissions, and benefits you otherwise would have received. If you are self-employed, you may use invoices, tax returns, or client contracts as proof of your average earnings.

3. Loss of Earning Capacity

In some cases, injuries may be permanent, leaving you with a disability that prevents you from doing the same work as before or that cuts you off from earning the same amount of money you once did.

As someone with diminished earning capacity due to a permanent injury, you are entitled to be compensated for the gap between the amount you were once earning and what you will earn in the future.

4. Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering damages are designed to pay you for the physical pain and emotional anguish caused by the accident and your injuries. This can include chronic pain, emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, and loss of enjoyment of life. Because these damages don’t have a direct financial value, they are typically quantified using a multiplier.

5. Property Damage

When a car accident happens, your car and any other personal property can be left damaged. You can claim the expense of repairing or replacing your vehicle along with anything else that was damaged, including electronics, attire, or accessories. If your car is totaled, you are owed your car's fair market value.

Remember to save those estimates, receipts, and photos as evidence for your property damage claim.

Conclusion

Following a car accident, the losses are much more than just repairing a damaged car or paying for an ER visit. From lost wages to pain and suffering, every facet of your life impacted by the accident can be considered in your claim.

Knowing the full extent of damages that can be won gives you the upper hand when seeking adequate compensation.

With a good strategy, however, you can pick yourself up and recover from the accident with the financial cushion necessary to rebuild your life.