Personal injuries can be devastating in several ways. They can leave you physically injured and financially impaired. A personal injury incident can also impact you psychologically.
However, you do not deserve to suffer these injuries and losses while the negligent party responsible for them is walking freely. You must know how to hold them liable for your losses. Adopting a holistic approach will help you recover substantial compensation.
“Maximum compensation entails considering every aspect of your injury, suffering, and losses. Beyond immediate medical bills, you must also consider emotional distress, physical pain, suffering, mental havoc, ongoing medical care, and lost earnings to determine the accurate worth of your claim. You need to involve a professional to capture every aspect of your damages,” says Burbank Personal Injury Lawyer Ryan Block of Block LLP Injury Law Firm.
This piece discusses how you can maximize your compensation in a personal injury claim:
The Damages to Focus On
If you want your compensation to be comprehensive, focus on the following when making a demand:
Lost Earnings
If you want to get something significant after a personal injury incident, your attention must not solely be on the obvious, like medical costs. When someone injures you, you may lose your ability to work and earn, which can impact your financial stability.
Therefore, lost income is an essential aspect of your damages. You must carefully document the number of hours you missed due to the harm and the amount you would have earned during that period.
Emotional Distress
Another crucial aspect to consider is emotional distress. Unfortunately, many usually ignore it. The psychological effect of an injury can be unimaginable. It can impede the quality of your life and affect your daily living.
You need a professional who can help you quantify this damage and demand compensation appropriately.
Rehabilitation or Ongoing Medical Care
If you sustain severe injuries, you may need to undergo rehabilitation or long-term medical care. This medical need may even be more expensive than the immediate medical care you got after the accident. If you fail to capture it in your settlement request, you may bear this daunting albatross alone.
The essence of capturing ongoing or future medical expenses in your claim is to ensure you do not unfairly bear the financial burden of likely future complications. Remember that once you settle, you cannot return to the defendant to ask for more. Therefore, it is advisable to document every aspect of your injury at the earliest opportunity.
Property Damage
If you lose personal belongings or property, be sure to include them in your settlement request. For instance, if you are involved in an auto accident, the at-fault party might have caused serious damage to your vehicle. You can add the cost of repairs to your personal injury claim.
To avoid denial or downplaying your losses, keep a detailed record of everything. You can also keep visual evidence to solidify your claim. When you overlook anything, you deny yourself the opportunity to receive adequate compensation.
Determining the Worth of Your Compensation
You must assess your economic and non-economic losses after a personal injury incident to determine your comprehensive compensation. Economic damages are relatively straightforward to determine because they entail quantifiable losses. Examples are medical costs and loss of earnings.
However, you must accurately document your expenditure and keep a meticulous record of the number of hours you missed at work to increase your chances of a positive outcome. If you cannot prove your claims, it becomes difficult to recoup your losses.
Conversely, non-economic losses are challenging to prove due to their subjective nature. That is why some victims usually overlook them. However, when you involve a personal injury attorney, they can help you calculate the worth of your emotional distress, reduced quality of life, pain, and suffering.
You deserve compensation for every pain or loss you experience in a personal injury accident. When you hide under "it is difficult to determine or prove" to ignore some vital aspects, it eventually becomes clear how you have short-changed yourself.
When an attorney handles your case, they will adopt the "principle of precedents" by considering similar past cases to determine the worth of your claim. They will focus on several factors, including the severity of the harm, its long-term implications, the degree of the defendant's involvement, and other related losses.
When a claim combines the economic and non-economic losses, the demand will be comprehensive. It will capture every aspect of your injury and losses to restore you to your original state as if you were never involved in the incident.
The Invaluable Participation of a Personal Injury Attorney
As emphasized in different aspects of this piece, you need a personal injury attorney to increase your chances of receiving comprehensive compensation. The process of recovering compensation is demanding due to the complexity of personal injury law and the unyielding nature of insurance firms. Therefore, you need a professional to represent you in this matter.
Legal professionals are familiar with the process. They deploy their expertise to harness all avenues of comprehensive compensation. When you trust their leadership, your case receives the attention it deserves.
After analyzing your case to determine the validity of your claim, your personal injury attorney will consider the available evidence. If it is insufficient, they will help in gathering more evidence. They may visit the accident scene, speak with eyewitnesses, and involve trained witnesses.
Furthermore, a personal injury attorney will serve as your advocate; they will prevent the other party and their insurer from trampling on your rights. They will also insist on a fair settlement for your injuries and losses. You cannot be nursing pain and still actively advocate for yourself, so it is advisable to allow a professional to take the front seat.
In addition, you need a personal injury attorney to help determine the worth of your claim and negotiate with insurance firms. Your lawyer will prioritize your interests in the negotiations. If the insurance company is unwilling to offer a reasonable amount, they will take the case to litigation.
Final Thoughts
If you want your case to get the deserved attention, it is advisable to involve a local personal injury attorney. A legal professional understands how stressful this stage of your life is, thus offering you much-needed peace of mind. You can focus on recovery when you are confident in the person handling your legal tussle.