New York law allows personal injury victims to recover economic damages (with the help of a personal injury Attorney), covering past and future medical expenses, payment for lost wages, and other losses. It also allows victims to recover non-economic damages like pain and suffering.
Accurately tallying your personal injury expenses can be a challenge. Tangible items like past medical bills and lost wages are relatively straightforward to calculate. Intangible things like emotional distress and pain can be more challenging to assign a monetary value to.
Medical Expenses
Medical expenses are an essential part of any personal injury case. Compensation can be awarded for past and future medical care related to the accident or injury, such as hospital bills, doctor visits, physical therapy, lab fees, prescription medications, splints, surgery, transportation from the scene of an accident, nursing home care, wheelchairs, and more.
A top personal injury attorney will work hard to ensure victims receive adequate financial compensation for their injuries. They will begin by thoroughly analyzing liability and reviewing statutes, precedents, and common law. Personal Injury Attorney may also secure evidence and submit it to an expert for non-destructive testing.
They will then negotiate a fair settlement with the at-fault party’s insurance company. Personal Injury Attorney will protect their clients by shielding them from uninformed or unscrupulous insurance representatives. They will also handle communication with medical providers to ensure that necessary treatment is not interrupted while waiting for a settlement. This is especially important for those who have ongoing healthcare needs.
Property Damage
In some cases, a person’s property is damaged in an accident. A personal injury attorney can help recover the cost of replacing or repairing these items.
They can also get compensation for your lost wages when you miss work due to your injury. A lawyer can use your pay stubs and other documentation to prove how much you should be paid for missing work.
Medical bills are another significant part of any personal injury claim. Your attorney will ensure that the at-fault party is responsible for your past and future medical expenses.
Your attorney can also handle communication with insurance companies. This can be a complex process that often involves nuanced negotiations. By taking these conversations, your attorney frees you up to focus on getting well. This is especially important if you have injuries that require ongoing treatment, therapy, or other care. Personal injury attorneys have experience calculating economic and non-economic damages in various accidents.
Lost Wages
Having a personal injury lawyer is essential when dealing with medical bills. They can help you negotiate a settlement with the insurance company or prove your case at trial. They can also file a third-party claim against the person or entity that caused your injuries.
A personal injury attorney can also help you recover compensation for lost wages. These are the wages you would have earned but for your injury. Calculating this is usually straightforward and can be proven with pay stubs or employer statements. This includes any missed overtime earnings, holiday or sick days you did not work because of your accident, and tips or bonus income reductions.
It is more complicated to prove future lost wages or loss of earning capacity, but a qualified New York personal injury attorney can help you. They can provide experts to testify that your injuries will impact your job prospects in the future and how much money you may lose as a result.
Pain and Suffering
If you suffered a severe injury, the person or company at fault should cover your medical expenses, including ongoing care. This should also include payment for lost earnings, disability benefits, and “non-economic” damages such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
A skilled personal injury attorney can help you get the money you deserve for your medical bills, property damage, and other losses. They can negotiate with medical providers for less than you might expect and fight back against inaccurate or high billings.
Proving your non-economic damages, such as emotional distress and mental anguish, can be a challenge. A good New York personal injury lawyer will use evidence such as your medical records, a doctor’s testimony, and a journal to demonstrate how much your injuries have affected you. They can also use the Abbreviated Injury Scale to determine your injury severity score and the impact on your quality of life.
