The physical and emotional toll taken by a car accident can be significant. Your mobility might be limited, you might suffer extensive amounts of pain, and the stress of it all might leave you anxious, depressed, and worried about the future.
But the financial implications of your wreck can be just as devastating. You might struggle to put food on the table, keep a roof over your head, and keep the lights on. Medical expenses can also quickly come to you, which can be difficult, if not impossible, to deal with when you were unable to work and earn your wages. So, what are you to do in the situations?
Fortunately, you might be able to recover the compensation that you need to offset your losses through a personal injury claim. However, the exact amount that you’ll recover from your claim depends on the facts at hand and your ability to present a persuasive case. Therefore, before heading into your personal injury, case, you need to know how to be as aggressive as possible when it comes to presenting evidence not only as to liability, but also as to the extent of your damages.
What can you do to maximize your showing of accident damages?
Although, proving your damages may seem straightforward, this issue can actually be quite complicated in a personal injury case. Therefore, you need to be prepared to address the nuances of your unique case. That said, there are some things that you can do to potentially maximize the amount of compensation that you recover from your claim. Let’s look at how you can go about doing that:
- Creating a clear record of your medical needs: Your medical expenses are going to make up a significant portion of your economic damages. However, you’re only going to be able to prove those damages if you have medical documentation or a medical expert’s testimony as to not only the medical care that you’ve already received, but also the medical treatment that you’ll need moving forward.So, you need to make as clear of a record as possible when it comes to your medical treatment and needs. Therefore, seek treatment immediately after your accident, and be sure to follow all of your doctor’s recommendations. If you feel like you need additional treatment, make sure to have those conversations with your doctor. Then, you can gather all medical documentation and talk to your medical provider about potentially testifying in your case.
- Document your non-economic losses: Your non-economic losses, such as those pertaining to pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and mental anguish, can be quite valuable. However, given the intangible nature of these losses, it can be hard to demonstrate their true worth. That’s why it may benefit you to document every way in which you were accident injuries negatively impact your life. Keeping a daily journal may be helpful here.
- Be forward-looking: While you’ll certainly want to recover compensation for losses that have already been incurred, you’ll also want to try to recover financial resources for those damages that you anticipate to incur in the future. Although we mentioned this in the context of medical treatment above, you should also pay careful attention to how your accident injuries will continue to prevent you from working or will negatively impact your career. This isn’t always easy to do, which is why you might want to secure an expert who can help you demonstrate the effect your injuries will have on your work abilities.
- Be prepared to address arguments of comparative fault: One of the strongest defenses that you’ll face your case pertains to comparative fault. Here, the defense will argue that you’re to blame for the accident in some fashion. If they’re successful in doing so, then you might see your ultimate financial award reduced by the amount of fault that’s assigned to you. Therefore, as you move forward with your claim, you should be cognizant of any evidence that may indicate that you were to blame for the wreck. If you don’t, then you may be putting your claim and recovery in jeopardy.
Fights, to recover the compensation, that you deserve
You have a lot on your plate as you struggle to recover from your accident injuries. With so much weighing upon you, you don’t need to worry about how you’re going to meet your basic needs. That’s why it’s critical that you know how to properly pursue an aggressive and thorough personal injury case. If that thought stresses you out further, then please take comfort knowing that support is out there to help you fight for the outcome that you deserve.