How Much Is My Auto Accident Worth?

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Car accidents are costly; there’s no doubt about it. At best, a car crash will result in expensive vehicle damage; at worst, lifelong injuries, costly medical bills, and months of lost income.

If you’re facing unexpected costs after an auto accident caused by another negligent driver, you’re likely wondering how you are going to recover the compensation you deserve to get your life back.

Thankfully, you have legal options. When you work with an experienced personal injury lawyer, several recovery options (known in the legal world as “damages”) are available to you. Here is a brief list of what you may be able to recover in a personal injury lawsuit after a car accident.

What Can I Recover in my Car Accident Case?

Medical Bills

Unanticipated injuries—large and small—require medical care, and medical care is expensive. Car accidents can cause severe injuries that may require treatment for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, insurance doesn’t always cover treatment costs.

We at PARRIS recognize that you should not be responsible for medical expenses you incur due to someone else’s negligence. Our attorneys will fight relentlessly until we obtain compensation for all your medical bills—past, present, and future.

Read more about how your medical bills get paid after an accident.

Property Damage

Car collisions nearly always cause vehicle damage. Your car could end up in the shop for weeks as a technician works to repair and return it to you.

Not only do you now have to pay for repairs, but you may also need to rent another vehicle to get to and from work while you wait. This is expensive. Filing a personal injury claim against the negligent driver may allow you to collect compensation to cover these costs.

Lost Wages and Future Income

Even if you only suffer minor injuries and spend just a few days or weeks out of work, one missed paycheck can trigger a slew of financial problems. When someone else causes a car accident that requires you to miss work to get better, they may need to reimburse you for the wages you lost.

What happens if you can’t ever return to work due to your injuries? In the case of more severe injuries, you may also need to recover the cost of future lost wages. The more serious your injuries, the more likely it is that you won’t be able to return to work in the same capacity, reducing your earning potential. If this is the case, you may be able to recover damages.

Pain and Suffering

“Pain and suffering” is a catch-all legal term that includes your physical and mental trauma after a catastrophic personal injury, whether from a car collision or another type of accident.

Pain and suffering damages can compensate for physical suffering such as current and future painpermanent disability or impairment, or even inconvenience due to medical treatment. It can also cover mental anguish, including emotional distress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia, or other mental illnesses.

Many car accident victims don’t realize they can receive compensation for something other than medical expenses and lost income. This is largely because, unlike the other types of damages listed, a victim’s pain and suffering isn’t easily quantifiable.

How do you put a price tag on your pain? Your PARRIS team has decades of experience telling the story of these losses to juries.

Despite what you might think, pain and suffering damages are a key part of personal injury compensation. Payment for your totaled car or your back brace doesn’t cover the chronic pain you may experience for the rest of your life. After an auto accident, to calculate pain and suffering, you can rely on our team to help you determine the value.

While no amount of money can undo or take away your pain, it may help ease your anxiety about how you will cover your financial needs.

Loss of Consortium

What if your injury permanently damages your relationship with your spouse? The victim of a terrible car accident may not be able to provide their spouse with the same love and affection given before the accident.

If this is the case, then the victim’s spouse may have a claim for “loss of consortium” damages—that is, loss of companionship damages.

Loss of consortium damages may include loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, moral support, and the loss of sexual relations. These damages are usually reserved for the most tragic personal injury cases—catastrophic personal injuries or wrongful death.

If another driver’s negligence has caused the severe injury or death of your loved one, you may be entitled to compensation.

Punitive Damages

Unlike the previously listed types of recovery, punitive damages are damages meant to punish the defendant rather than compensate the plaintiff. Punitive damages are generally awarded when the negligent driver acted in such an irresponsible manner that they should have known their actions would seriously injure someone.

For example, you may be able to recover punitive damages from a drunk driver, as they should have known that driving drunk would cause serious harm to someone.

Punitive damages go above and beyond regular compensation and are meant to discourage the person responsible from repeating their mistake.

So How Much is My Auto Accident Case Worth?

It depends.

When you first come to PARRIS Law Firm, we won’t know the value of your case right away. Your ultimate recovery amount will depend on the nature of the accident, your injuries, and the other party’s insurance coverage—and we just won’t know any of that information until we’ve put in the hours needed to get you the result you deserve.

But the ultimate value of your case is also influenced by another factor: your attorney. Many law firms out there are looking to settle car accident cases as quickly as possible for low amounts, choosing to prioritize firm profits over the welfare of their clients.

Not at PARRIS. At PARRIS, we see our cases through to the end. Our team prepares every case for trial, meticulously gathering documents, conducting investigations, and negotiating with insurance companies to get your maximum recovery amount. Our results for clients speak for themselves.

We get these large settlements and verdicts because we put clients’ interests first. You aren’t just another case or another dollar sign. You’re part of the PARRIS family.

Speak with a PARRIS Legal Advisor Today

If you have a case you’d like to discuss with our team, contact PARRIS Law Firm today. We’re available 24/7 to help you explore your options and protect your rights. Our consultations are free, and if you hire us, you’ll pay no fees until we obtain your recovery.

Tell us how we can help.

If you need immediate assistance, please call our office at (661) 942-7869 and ask to speak with someone in our Intake Department available 24/7.

Alex Wheeler - PARRIS Law Firm Attorney Speaking with a Client - Legal Consultation

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