No one should bear the expenses of an accident caused by someone else’s negligence. Justice means holding the person responsible for your injuries accountable for paying for them.
However, when seeking justice, it is crucial to beware of damages you may be entitled to so that you are not left to pay the bills.
Some financial consequences, such as past medical bills, loss of income, or property damage, is straightforward. You can quickly determine these costs by looking at the medical bills accrued and the income you would have received during the period in question.
For example, if you broke your leg in an auto collision, you may seek compensation for the medical bills, damage to your vehicle, and lost wages for the time you were unable to work.
The last thing you wish to do is quickly take a settlement offer and, later, when the settlement money has depleted, be responsible for paying your medical expenses. When determining the “value” of your injury, it’s crucial to consider future costs.
This post is for you if you have sustained a personal injury from an accident in Arkansas. Read on to understand the type of future damages your Little Rock car accident attorney can help you claim in a personal injury case.
What Are Future Damages?
Future damages are some of the most challenging damages to estimate. Once you take a settlement offer, you cannot request more money in the future, even if your injuries worsen.
For this reason, it is crucial to ensure you obtain the maximum compensation you are entitled to following an accident. Any settlement offer or judgment must take future damages into account.
These damages are meant to compensate for any future losses you could incur due to your current injuries. Examples include the medical expenses, and hospital stays you will incur in your lifetime or the need for a caregiver in the future.
These damages are essential to a settlement since they assure you that you have the resources to pay for your future and medical costs after the accident.
What Are the Various Types of Future Damages
The problem with future damages is that most insurers worry that they will be intentionally exaggerated. For this reason, insurers frequently decline to issue maximum compensation to injured persons without substantial evidence.
Your personal injury lawyer will be most helpful in this situation. Your attorney will need to collaborate with expert witnesses, such as physicians and therapists, to testify about how your injuries may affect your future and your capacity to work.
These experts will assist in accurately determining future life care requirements and the present value of those expenses.
Will you need to stay in the hospital for a long time, go through rehab, or have more surgery due to your injuries? Will you be permanently disabled, or will you fully recover?
Will the injuries affect your ability to work in your preferred job? These are some elements your Little Rock car accident attorney will have to consider when calculating future damages.
Future Loss of Income
Sometimes, your accident-related injuries might keep you from returning to work, practicing your chosen profession, or working a full-time job.
You might need to reduce your hours or perhaps change employment. If this occurs, you may lose a sizable sum of money every month for years.
You can also miss essential benefits like retirement plans and other things. Therefore, any settlement must take into account any potential future income losses.
Your personal injury lawyer will need to consider several criteria and provide the following information to determine this loss:
- What was your net weekly income before the accident?
- How much do you currently earn following the accident?
- When do you intend to retire?
- What is the extent of your reduced working capacity? Do you still have a job, or are you working part-time?
- Did your accident make it more difficult for you to continue advancing in your career or earn promotions?
You deserve justice after being involved in an accident in Arkansas, and a skilled Little Rock car accident attorney can help you get it.
Future Medical Expenses
Recovery can be a difficult and lengthy process. Some people never fully recover and live with partial or permanent disabilities.
Others achieve maximum medical improvement yet still need to undergo treatment or surgeries in the future. These costs can significantly overwhelm an injured accident victim.
If you don’t receive enough compensation, you can have to pay for any future medical procedures and treatments linked to your injury.
Your personal injury attorney will have to consult with medical professionals to ascertain how your injuries may affect your future and your capacity to maintain your lifestyle.
These medical professionals—doctors, therapists, and surgeons- can assist us in deciding what procedures and treatments you might require as time passes.
Your Little Rock car accident attorney can then use the total of these future costs to calculate the cost of your future medical damages.
Future Pain & Suffering
Other types of harm for which you may seek compensation include pain and suffering. However, these damages might often fall into a murky category, including mental distress, loss of enjoyment, and loss of consortium.
Additional compensation would be needed if your injuries had a psychological effect and you could not maintain your prior lifestyle or relationships or, for example, use a vehicle for a while after the automobile accident.
Unfortunately, the value of these damages is not always clear, or it may not be immediately apparent. Only a knowledgeable personal injury attorney can determine the worth of these damages and then communicate that value to the insurance provider or, if necessary, the jury.
What Kinds of Accidents Can Cause Future Damages?
Personal injury accidents fall under various categories. The severity of the collision determines how much damage was inflicted.
The more severe the accident is, the higher the chances of the injured victim incurring future damages. Sometimes, an injury that looks minor at first may develop into a long-lasting, irreversible injury.
Therefore, it is crucial to contact an accident attorney immediately following any accident. The following accident types are the most typical and may result in long-term harm:
- Auto accidents: Car accident injuries range from minor to fatal, but serious crashes can result in future loss of wages, pain and suffering, and continuous rehabilitation.
- Slip and fall: These accidents result when public spaces breach their duty to maintain a safe environment. Broken bones may result from falls, which may prevent the wounded person from working.
- Defective products: If a product’s design is defective, it might seriously harm an unsuspecting consumer. A faulty device might ignite a fire or cut the user, which could result in severe injury. With severe injuries, future damages are more likely to occur.
Take Care of Future Damages with a Little Rock Car Accident Attorney
If you have been involved in an accident in Arkansas and sustained significant injuries, you should immediately contact a knowledgeable and competent personal injury lawyer.
You should not have to incur the cost of injuries resulting from someone else’s negligence.
At Legal Giant, we can connect you with a skilled Little Rock car accident attorney who will guide you through your legal options and fight to get you the money you need now and in the future.
Contact us today for a free consultation and review of your case.
