Copyright © 2023 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.
Car accidents are dangerous and can be costly. If another party causes you to be harmed in an auto collision, they could be held liable for damages. Injured victims may be eligible to recover compensation for economic and non-economic damages. In rare cases, the injured party may also be eligible to recover punitive damages, as well.
Following a car accident, you should seek legal help. A seasoned car accident attorney could investigate your crash and help you hold the responsible party accountable. Reach out to Roger Gelb to learn about the various types of recoverable damages after a DC car accident.
After a crash, an experienced attorney could help the injured claimant recover compensation for economic damages. Economic damages refer to the monetary losses or out-of-pocket expenses a person sustains after an accident.
Economic damages could include medical bills, hospital calls, rehabilitation services, lost wages, property damage, and lost earning capacity. A skilled car crash lawyer could calculate the actual damages and help the injured person recover compensation.
There are several types of non-economic damages a person could recover. Non-economic damages do not have a specific monetary value. The most common types of non-economic damages include loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and mental anguish.
There is no formula for non-economic damages. They are calculated by considering the entirety of the case, including the amount of property damage where the case would be litigated, the amount of the medical bills, the amount of lost wages, as well as actual diagnosis and prognosis.
For example, if the medical bills were $1,000, but the person lost a limb in the accident, and the claim is worth a significant amount of money, regardless of the amount of bills, there is no formula to calculate the value of a claim. That claim has to be analyzed in terms of an entire picture. A knowledgeable car accident lawyer could evaluate the injured claimant’s losses.
Punitive damages are just what the name implies. It’s awarded to punish a defendant in a case. In most automobile accident claims or claims for negligence, punitive damages are not recoverable.
The at-fault insurer would pay the property damages on behalf of their own insured, so they would have an obligation to defend and indemnify they’re insured, which would include paying for the damage caused by their insured.
A person’s own automobile insurance carrier would offer, potentially, first-party medical coverage. Potentially, they would offer collision coverage if the claimant purchased that coverage. They could offer rental car coverage on their own policy to their insurance.
A car crash lawyer can help you recover a wide range of damages following an automobile collision. An attorney is entirely responsible for not only recovering the medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering and assisting with the property damage claim, but the attorney has an obligation to zealously pursue the maximum recovery on behalf of their client.
The attorney could gather all of the medical bills, gather all of the records, gather all of the prescriptions, receipts, gather and calculate the lost wage documentation, present everything to the liable insurance company as well as to the first party medical carrier if one is available. The legal team at Gelb & Gelb, P.C., would attempt to, first, amicably resolve the claim on behalf of the claimant, and if unable to do so, then a lawyer would file a lawsuit in order to retain inadequate recovery. Schedule a consultation today to learn about the types of recoverable damages after a car accident.
Copyright © 2023 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.