Were you involved in a car accident or other personal injury and you want to know how much to claim for pain and suffering and what other damages you are entitled to? Check out this short video.
My website: https://www.chicagolegalgroup.com
0:00 Introduction
1:08 Property Damage
2:10 Recovery for other property damage like your phone
2:24 Key to recovering for other property damage
2:52 Recovery for Medical Expenses
4:15 Recovery for future medical expenses
4:48 Recovery for lost income or loss of wages
6:14 Recovery for your pain and suffering
7:53 Loss of consortium or companionship
9:10 Recovery for permanent injury or disfigurement
10:10 The 1 type of damage people try to recover for after a car accident but cannot
Pain and suffering is one part of your recovery after a car accident or other personal injury case. You can recover for a lot of different types of damages. Here’s a list of the damages you can recover.
The first type of damage you can recover is for your property damage.
When you get in an accident the insurance company will inspect your vehicle and an adjuster is going to make a determination of how much damage there was to your car and how much it will cost to fix it.
It might be that your car is a total loss. There are different formulas for what is a total loss so I’m not going to get into that in this video. I did a vehicle on what to do if your vehicle is a total loss –
What Can I Do If My Car is Totaled: https://youtu.be/GPMDraowuPg
You can also recover if your sunglasses or your mobile phone etc were damaged in the accident.
The key to recovering for property damage – photographs and receipts. Evidence to prove that you actually suffered the damage.
The second type of damage you can recover is your medical expenses.
They are what is considered economic damages and they’re generally fully recoverable.
Now note that each state has its own laws and you should check the laws of your state. Some states are no-fault states and their laws are unusual. I live in IL so I’m speaking primarily about non no-fault states.
FYI – you’re likely going to have to pay back your medical providers or your health insurance out of the proceeds of your settlement.
Medical expenses can include anything from the bill for your surgery to your co pay for a prescription. If you do want to get reimbursed for things like co pays, I strongly recommend you keep all your receipts and document everything you buy along the way.
You may also be able to recover for future medical expenses.
How to pay medical bills after an accident: https://youtu.be/Hh3KIQxlJzw
The third type of damage you can recover is your lost wages.
This is also a type of economic damages. If you miss a few weeks of work because you were unable to work due to injuries suffered in the accident, you can seek reimbursement for those lost wages.
You may also be able to seek compensation for future lost earnings if your injury is such that you cannot return to your job.
And lost wages covers the gambit from hourly wages lost to paid time off to vacation pay and more. You can generally recover for all of it.
How to recover lost wages: https://youtu.be/DcM6AsN388g
The fourth type of damage you can recover is for your pain and suffering. How much is it worth? It depends.
Think of it as a sliding scale. If you have a minor issue, generally speaking, not always, but generally speaking you’re not going to recover a lot for your pain and suffering. If you have broken bones, a herniated disc a severe brain injury, you’re going to recover more.
One thing I can tell you that it is not based on is any kind of multiplier.
A fifth type of damage you may not have thought of is what’s called loss of consortium or loss of companionship.
If you are severely injured in an accident and you cannot engage in the “normal function” that a husband or wife normally does then you may be able to recover.
Another thing to note is that you can recovery for permanency or disfigurement. Perhaps you’ll walk with a cane or with a limp the rest of your life. Often it happens in dog bite cases where the victim was bitten on their face and they’ll have a scar the rest of their life. Permanency is a huge factor in how much in damages you’ll recover.
1 type of damage you cannot generally recover after a car accident: Punitive damages.
These are meant to punish the other party. Generally speaking, you can’t recover those in a car accident case or any situation where your claim is based on negligent conduct.
Speak with a personal injury lawyer about pain and suffering or other damages at info@legalvlogger.com.
Disclaimer: This video is for entertainment and informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice and the accuracy thereof is not warranted or guaranteed. This information is prone to errors and omissions. Use this information at your own risk. Watching this video does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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