The days and weeks after a major car accident can be a confusing time. You are likely spending a lot of time dealing with doctors and insurance agents. If you are receiving medical treatment, you may worry about the totality of your bills being covered. If your car was totaled, you may worry about your car loan being paid off and having enough to buy another car. You may even wonder if you need a personal injury lawyer and if you will be able to seek financial reimbursement and compensation. Of course, the biggest question in these cases tends to be – how much can I get?

Factors that Affect Financial Reimbursement

The question of compensation is not as cut and dry as you may expect. There are many factors which play into your car accident settlement. Here is a quick rundown of some of those factors.

Insurance Coverage: The amount of compensation for a particular accident will depend on the maximum limits on the policies carried by each party to the accident. Florida has a “no-fault” system, meaning that your own insurance coverage should pay for medical bills and other financial losses. This is true no matter who caused the accident. However, if your own policy does not cover your expenses, you are still given the opportunity to sue the other party’s insurance company. You will need to prove liability to successfully sue an insurance company. By proving liability via the evidence, your attorney may win financial recovery from a third-party insurance company or another at-fault party. This typically involves proving negligence of the other driver.
Medical Expenses: Another essential factor in assessing the value of your case is the amount of medical expenses that you incurred as the result of your injuries.It can be difficult to determine what your medical treatments will be over the long-term, which is why a personal injury attorney may be very useful. Remember to never accept the insurance company’s first offer, as they tend to lowball in the hopes of paying out less money.
Lost Wages: Injuries incurred as a result of a car accident often affect your ability to work, as well as necessitate days off works for doctors appointments or procedures. The amount of financial loss from missed work and lost wages will affect the car accident settlement amount. Because these are monetary damages, a personal injury lawyer can prove that your injuries resulted in a lower earning potential. If your injuries are long-term or permanent, your lost wages could be significant, affecting the rest of your life.
Property Damage: If your car was damaged in the accident, your insurance company will pay for damages up to the limit. However, you may not have enough coverage to pay off your car loan, and you may decide to sue the at-fault driver for losses. The amount of financial shotfall may affect what you can claim in these cases.
Quality of Life Considerations: PIP insurance will not reimburse any non-economic damages from your injuries. However, you can hire an attorney to seek financial reimbursement for non-economic damages, including loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, pain and suffering or embarrassment.
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Additional Expenses: There are many additional costs associated with recovering from a car accident. These may include car rental while your car is being repaired, transportation to and from doctor’s appointments, cost of prosthetic limbs or hiring of home help. In order to claim these expenses, you will need documentation and receipts, and prove that they are related to your injury.

There are other factors in determining the amount of compensation you may receive. Sadly, there are insurance companies that operate in bad faith, and may need to fight even harder to get a fair settlement. Patience also plays a large part in what you may receive – many people get impatient and want their money more quickly, so settle for an amount less than they should.

The one essential factor that the insurance companies don’t want you to understand is that you have a much better chance at a fair settlement if you hire a personal injury lawyer. From prior cases and precedents, attorneys understand how much your case may be worth, and will help you to not settle for less than you deserve.

If you need representation after a car accident, call the experienced attorneys at Probinsky & Cole.