Motor Vehicle Accident Compensation in New York
If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident that the state of New York deems serious, you could be eligible to file a lawsuit for compensation. Your lawyer will tell you if your injuries meet the threshold.
Insurance companies are skilled at contesting your losses. Insurance companies may offer settlements that aren’t enough to compensate for your losses.
Damages
If you’ve been injured in a motor car accident, you may be entitled to compensation. These damages are intended to compensate you for your losses and expenses like medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage. You may also receive compensation for suffering and pain. This kind of compensation is more subjective and can be difficult to quantify. A competent lawyer for torts will help you obtain maximum damages for your injuries.
If, for instance, you suffer an injury that results in permanent impairment of your arm or your leg the compensation could include future costs that are associated with the impairment. This could include physical therapy, surgeries as well as prosthetics, equipment, or. A permanent loss of a limb or disfigurement can create emotional trauma for the rest of your life and a decreased quality of life. This is referred to as mental anguish.
Non-economic damages are more tangible and insurance companies frequently attempt to diminish these types of damages. Morgan & Morgan’s skilled tort attorneys can ensure that you receive the full value of your general damages.
Medical bills
Medical bills can quickly mount up when you are injured in an auto accident. The expenses can be overwhelming and a lot to bear, especially when you try to recover from your injuries.
There are many different ways that car accident victims can receive help paying their medical expenses. In New York, all drivers are required to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) which covers the victim’s initial medical expenses after an accident. PIP will cover the loss of income in the event that a victim is unable work for up to 90-days.
Medicare and health insurance can also cover medical expenses in addition to PIP. The only requirement is that the patient has to prove that the cost is directly related to the incident. This can be done by submitting receipts or bills from the doctor.
Some doctors and hospitals allow a victim of an accident to negotiate a payment arrangement in exchange for a lien against the victim’s personal injury verdict or settlement. These liens are typically called medical liens or hospital liens. If you fail to resolve these debts within a reasonable amount of time the debts may be transferred to collection. Victims may also seek compensation for the expense of mileage incurred when getting to and from medical appointments by keeping track and storing their mileage receipts.
Lost wages
Being absent from work due to a motor vehicle accident (read more on Mapleprimes`s official blog) can leave you in a difficult financial situation. Losing a few weeks of pay or even a full month could be a major blow to many Americans who live pay check to paycheck. Victims of car accidents are often in a position to recover lost wages by filing car accident lawsuits.
Typically, lost wage claims are calculated by determining the length of time that an injured person would have worked without injury. This could be a result of missed shifts, overtime and any work performed while in hospital. To prove that there was no income, a request should be made for evidence from the plaintiff’s employer. These can be letters that prove the hours they were off work and their salary or hourly rate. Other documentation could include pay stubs as well as copies of the injured person’s tax return for the previous year.
It is important that the demand package be completed as soon as is possible following a car accident. The person who was injured will be able to get the maximum benefit from their claim. Evidence of the accident is more convincing when it is immediately provided.
Suffering and pain
It can be difficult to determine the physical and emotional stress that result from a car crash. However, it is still important to seek compensation for these damages in your case.
These are known as non-economic damages. These damages may include suffering and pain, loss of enjoyment life, PTSD, and more. It can take time to fully appreciate the impact your injury has had on you, and these expenses aren’t always as easy to quantify as medical expenses or lost wages.
The lawyer you hire can use one of two methods to calculate the amount of pain and suffering. The multiplier method is the most commonly used. It involves adding up all of your economic damages including past and future medical expenses, lost earnings due to your accident and property damage, then multiplying the sum by a range of from 1.5 to 5 to determine your total economic damages. The higher the number, the more serious your injuries are considered.
Another way to measure pain and suffering is on a per diem basis. Your lawyer may request that the jury determine a dollar amount per day that you endure. This can be especially helpful for accident victims who work outside the home or who are struggling to care for children while they recover from their injuries.