What type of benefits and damages may be available after a car accident? Have you suffered significant injuries in a car accident? Are you now dealing with debilitating injuries, excruciating pain, and financial burdens? You may be able to make a claim for benefits or seek damages to compensate you for the personal and financial costs you have incurred. The value of your claims will depend on the circumstances of your car accident, the injuries you have sustained, and the knowledge and skill of the attorney you hire to help you make these claims. Reach out to a Grand Rapids car accident lawyer.

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Factors That Can Affect the Value of Your Motor Vehicle Accident Claim

Because each accident is unique, numerous factors can impact the value of your case, including:

• The severity of your injuries and whether you suffered a permanent disability
• The medical treatments you require now and in the future
• The available insurance and policy limits
• Whether the at-fault driver has assets that can be used to pay a judgment
• Your ability to work after the accident
• The income you lost when you could not work
• The wrongdoer’s culpability
• The credibility of the evidence presented
• The number of individuals involved in the motor vehicle collision
• The extent of your pain and suffering
• Your ability to take part in the activities you enjoyed before the accident

An attorney cannot promise you that you will receive a specific amount of money after the crash. You should not hire an attorney who makes any such guarantee. A knowledgeable car accident lawyer, however, can pursue the maximum compensation you deserve by examining these factors, figuring out which ones affect your case, and preparing a compelling legal case.

Economic Damages

These damages refer to compensation for the financial losses that result from an accident, including:

• Medical bills related to emergency services such as ambulance rides, hospital stays, doctor appointments, prescription medications, surgeries, in-home nursing care, prosthetics, and other medical treatments
• Ongoing and future medical treatments
• Lost wages
• Personal property damages
• Reduced earning capacity
• Replacement domestic services, such as cleaning services or child care services
• Rehabilitative therapy, such as physical and occupational therapy
• Modifications to your house or car to accommodate a wheelchair or other mobility needs
• Additional expenses resulting from the accident

Depending on the level of coverage available to you, many of these economic damages will be covered by your no-fault insurance carrier. You may be able to recover anything that is not covered by your no-fault carrier from the at-fault driver. However, a claim against the at-fault driver can only be pursued if you or your loved one suffered a serious impairment of a body function, permanent serious disfigurement, or death.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages refer to payment for the subjective, non-monetary losses that result from an accident, including:

• Pain and suffering
• Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health consequences of the crash or your injuries
• Fright and shock
• Physical disfigurement
• Physical impairment
• Loss of society and companionship, which is the impact of your injuries on your relationship with your loved ones
• Loss of quality and enjoyment of life
• The inconvenience of living with the injuries and their limitations

These damages can only be recovered from the at-fault driver, and only if the injured person sustained a serious impairment of a body function, permanent serious disfigurement, or death.

Your personal injury attorneys at Gruel Mills can determine which damages you may pursue and help you to get the best recovery from your no-fault insurer and/or the at-fault driver.