Victims of car accidents and their families often face a long physical and mental recovery process as well as an array of expenses related to the accident. Expenses can include medical bills, insurance deductibles, car repairs, and legal fees.
These mounting expenses may result in victims wondering how much money they are entitled to after their car accident. This is a common question, especially when a victim and their family feel the need to pursue legal action.
Whether the insurance company’s settlement is insufficient, the at-fault party refuses to take responsibility, or the victim’s injuries are worse than expected, car accident litigation is often necessary after car accidents. Settlements from lawsuits can reimburse victims and their families for a variety of expenses, such as:
- Emergency medical care
- Ongoing medical expenses such as medication, rehabilitation, and treatment
- Property damage
- Lost wages such as temporary or permanent disability
- Settlements for physical and psychological trauma as well as pain and suffering
- Legal fees
The amount that victims can potentially receive in relation to their car accident case will vary. Many factors play a part in determining settlement amounts. Here, we’ll discuss the various aspects of each car accident case that affect how much you can receive. However, it’s important to remember that consulting with an experienced car accident injury lawyer is the best way to understand the details related to your case and the potential settlement amounts you might be entitled to.
Injury Severity
The amount you may be able to recover after a car accident is largely dependent on the severity of your injuries and how much your medical bills are. Victims can experience a range of injuries from car accidents, including:
- Whiplash
- Head injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal bleeding
- Neck and spinal injuries
- Psychological trauma
- Cuts, scrapes, and burns
The more severe your injury, the more likely you are to get a higher car accident settlement. This is because serious injuries require more medical care, both upfront and over time. Emergency room visits, surgeries, diagnostic tests, medication, and ongoing treatment such as physical therapy and psychotherapy all add up to help determine the amount a victim could be eligible to receive.
Documenting all of your medical costs — including costs related to seeking medical care, such as transportation — and medical purchases like equipment and medication is an important step in ensuring that you get properly reimbursed. A car accident law firm can help you understand all the medical costs you might be eligible to receive damages for.
Injury Impact on Quality of Life and Earning Ability
Long-term injuries that affect a victim’s quality of life, ability to earn a living, and overall health and well-being typically result in higher settlements. This is because these types of injuries ultimately cost victims more in medical expenses, lost wages, and mental pain and suffering. Alternatively, a temporary injury, such as an easily treated broken bone, would likely result in a lower settlement.
An experienced car accident law firm can help you prove the negative ways in which your car accident injuries have affected your life, helping you get the damages you deserve.
Insurance Coverage
Another factor that impacts how much money a victim can get from a car accident is insurance coverage. Insurance policies typically have maximums, the highest amount of money the insurer will pay out. Whether or not you are eligible for damages will depend on whether or not insurance coverage maximums were enough to cover your expenses. For example, if the insurance company will only pay $15,000 and your injuries, lost wages, and other cumulative expenses amount to more than that, you can sue the at-fault party for the additional money to cover your damages.
Even if applicable insurance policies covered the expenses associated with your injuries, a car accident injury lawyer with ample knowledge of the field can help you understand whether or not your case was valued accurately by the insurer. It’s not uncommon for insurance companies to lowball victims to save money.
The Lopez Law Group Can Help
Curious how much you could receive for your car accident injury? Our Texas-based car accident law firm is committed to helping car accident victims and their families get the compensation they deserve. Our decades of combined experience means we can easily handle car accident cases of all kinds. Our goal is to make the legal process easier by helping our clients understand the various factors that affect compensation.
The Lopez Law Group is proud to serve Weslaco, Mission, McAllen, Laredo, Edinburg, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, Harlingen, Houston, Tyler, Spring, and other locations throughout the state. With our free, no-obligation consultation, you can get information on what you may be entitled to. Contact us online or call (956) 968-7800 to schedule your free case consultation.
