When you’re hurt in a car accident, you can sue for damages.
How much money you can get from a car accident depends on the case’s unique facts. Several major variables will determine how much you could seek, such as how much your medical bills cost. If you have catastrophic injuries after the car crash, your final settlement could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or even higher.
An attorney can help you understand how much you could seek in your case. While there are no guarantees about the final amount you could receive, a lawyer can add up the projected value of your losses and negotiate for a fair settlement or award on your behalf.
What Your Car Accident Compensation Is Based On
How much you could get after a car accident depends on the extent of your financial and non-financial losses following the accident. If you had major injuries, both of these losses tend to be significant.
Your financial losses may include:
- Medical bills: You can receive financial compensation for your medical bills, including doctor’s visits, emergency room care, and hospital stays. You can also seek compensation for the cost of your medications and ongoing physical therapy.
- Property damage: You can seek compensation for damage to your vehicle and any damaged or lost property in the vehicle during the accident.
- Lost wages: You can seek a recovery for your lost wages when you cannot work due to the accident. You could also seek compensation if you had to get a new job to accommodate your physical limitations after a crash.
These damages are fairly straightforward to calculate by adding up your costs and monetary losses. However, assigning a dollar amount to more intangible damages is much more challenging.
For instance, what if you had to have a limb amputated? What dollar amount do you place on that? What if you are permanently disabled and can no longer work? Or, what if you have to live in constant pain? With complex cases such as these, you may benefit from working with a personal injury lawyer who can file and argue your case.
If You Were Partly At Fault, You Could Still Seek Compensation
In the state of Georgia, both drivers in a car accident can be deemed partially at fault. However, you could still seek compensation even if you are partly responsible for contributing to the accident.
A lawyer can help to show that the other driver’s actions were the primary cause of the accident. Your lawyer can work to maximize your potential payout by building evidence of the other driver’s fault.
How an Insurance Adjuster May Challenge Your Claim
Ultimately, insurance companies aim to protect their own bottom lines – after all, insurance companies are businesses. Depending on what you say, your conversations with an insurance company could effectively reduce the amount you receive in a settlement.
Insurance companies challenge claims in many ways. Here are some examples:
- They may try to argue that you were partially at fault for the crash.
- You could be accused of causing the car accident.
- The insurer may argue that your injuries aren’t as bad as you claim them to be.
- They could claim that the medical treatment for which you are now trying to receive compensation was unnecessary.
- They may say that your injury had nothing to do with the car crash at all.
Another tactic employed by insurers is to delay a settlement with you. They could purposefully drag your claim out for months or over a year. They may be hoping you will get fed up with waiting and accept a lower payout from them.
You can hand over the communications with an insurance company to your lawyer. They will ensure your right to seek fair compensation is protected and that you don’t face unfair insurance tactics on your own. They can also work to ensure that your case is handled in a timely manner.
A Car Accident Lawyer Can Handle Your Case from Start to Finish
From the phone calls with insurance adjusters to filing a lawsuit, a car accident attorney can help you seek the compensation you need after a crash. They can:
- Gather evidence to prove your losses and the other driver’s liability
- Handle the negotiations to seek a settlement
- Determine when you need to file a lawsuit
- Handle litigation for you
- Advise you on important laws that may affect your case
- Help keep your case on track
Get Help with Your Car Accident Case Today
Working with a car accident lawyer is one good way to go after the full, fair settlement you deserve. A lawyer from our team will help you build a solid case, and they will relentlessly push to get you the settlement you deserve.
Call George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers for a free consultation. Our lawyers will fight to make sure you seek the money you are due. Call (888) 612-7001.