Getting involved in a car accident can create a lot of different financial issues, which can be especially frustrating when you didn’t cause the accident. You were driving carefully, but someone else was being negligent or even reckless. They made a mistake and crashed into your vehicle, and now you have to figure out how to deal with these financial challenges.
The good news is that you can often seek compensation from the driver who caused you to have these costs in the first place. Below are three different types of compensation you may want to consider, which all go far beyond the mere cost of repairing a motor vehicle.
Medical bills
Did you know that medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States? This just shows you how incredibly expensive they can get, even for injuries that don’t seem that significant or would not cost much to treat in other countries. American medical care is very expensive and the cost of those bills may be your main focus when seeking compensation. You would not have been injured without the other driver’s mistakes, so they need to compensate you for those costs.
Lost wages
You likely are also going to lose wages, at least for a short time, if you have suffered injuries that put you in the hospital. If those injuries are serious enough, you could miss an extended time at work. With the majority of people working paycheck to paycheck, this can be very detrimental to your budget.
Lost future wages
Additionally, you can sometimes look at your earning capacity in the future and then sue for compensation for money that you should have earned but no longer will. For example, maybe the injuries you suffered mean that you can no longer work in your chosen career or they limit your ability to get promotions and other jobs.
If you are facing high bills and wondering what to do after an accident, it’s very important to know exactly what legal steps to take.