If you’re involved in a car accident, and someone else caused it, the first thing you may think of is the damage to your car. It’s going to be very costly to repair. This may be solved by having insurance, but it can still be a lengthy process and it’s important to have the right person – the at-fault driver – cover those expenses.
However, in serious accidents, you’ll find that damage to the car is probably a very small portion of the actual costs you are going to face. If you’ve been injured in the accident, you may need to seek compensation for far more than that, and you absolutely do not want to overlook any important costs. Let’s take a look at a few things to consider.
Immediate medical care
Emergency medical care is often very expensive. This is especially true if it involves an extensive ambulance ride or an air lift. Life-saving care that is provided in an emergency room can quickly reach tens of thousands of dollars. In 24 hours, someone could find themselves in a nearly insurmountable amount of debt.
Long-term care
The cost of this medical care only rises if it needs to be long-term. Even staying a single night in a hospital can be prohibitively expensive. Someone who has to stay in the hospital for months, or who has a serious internal injury, could be facing millions of dollars in medical bills very quickly. For some, who need medication and rehabilitation for a long time after the crash, these bills almost never seem to end.
Lost wages
Additionally, if you have been so seriously injured, you’re constantly losing wages because you can’t work. You may also want to consider your lost earning potential for the lasting ramifications of those injuries. For instance, if an amputation injury means you can never work again, you may deserve compensation for all of the wages you would have earned in the decades to come.
Keeping all of this in mind, you can see why it’s so important to understand the legal options you have.