What types of compensation can I get for my personal injury claim?
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Video Transcript
When someone’s been harmed in an automobile accident the law allows them to get compensation in the amount or equal to the amount of the harm they have suffered. Perhaps the most simple way to look at it is in the past you might have medical bills. Medical bills in the past are something you are entitled to get recovery from.
When you miss time from work due to an automobile accident you may be entitled to a percentage of your wage loss depending on how your wage loss is calculated. So don’t think that because you’re out of work you’re not going to be able to get any type of compensation, you may.
You’re entitled to what is called human damages, that is the pain, the suffering, the disability, and mental anguish you’ve gone through. That is an intangible number, it’s not a black and white number. It’s a number that can only be conveyed through an experienced trial attorney that understands the nature and extent of how an injury such as yours has an impact on you.
Finally, there are these rare occasions where somebody’s behavior is so egregious, so reckless, that the law allows what is called punitive damages. Punitive damages are the type of law that allow you to punish the wrongdoer. Punitive damages compensation is over and above the earlier types of compensation I’ve talked about in terms of pain and suffering, mental anguish, and your medical bills.
One of the things that can happen in an auto accident is that you have an injury and you get medical treatment and you think you’ve plateaued or gotten better but in reality, a year or two down the road, the disc in your back or neck gets worse. You go to the doctor and the doctor says look, we’re going to have to do surgery again. We know that surgery is going to cost a lot of money.
At David & Philpot what we do is we look early on what is going to happen down the road to our clients. We hire trained professionals, they’re called life care planners. They go in and speak to the doctors, they speak to the nurses, they speak to the therapists. They figure out in money damages, how much money it’s going to take over your lifetime, to compensate you so you don’t have to come out of pocket to pay for your medical bills.
If you or a loved one have been harmed due to the negligence of another person, please contact us today to discuss your case. There is no cost or obligation to speak with one of our attorneys. We can be reached at 800.360.7015.
