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15 Ways A Car Wreck Can Ruin Your Life
Many auto accident victims don’t realize just how much a crash affects their lives until they can evaluate the full extent of their injuries. Injury victims may be eligible to seek compensation for both the economic and intangible losses they suffer as a result of a driver’s negligence.
The experienced car accident lawyers at Arash Law can help you explore your legal options. We can help you estimate the potential compensation available in your case based on the extent of your losses. When you hire our team, our attorneys can help you protect your legal right to seek compensation.
Intangible losses resulting from a car accident are often referred to as “pain and suffering,” but this name can be misleading. The losses you suffer after a car accident may go beyond the physical pain and emotional suffering that come with your injuries. What follows are just a few of the most common losses that injury victims suffer as a result of someone else’s negligence.
Navigating Life Without Your Vehicle
Many car accidents damage your vehicle to the point where it is unusable. If your car is towed from the accident scene, you may need to find an alternative means of transportation while it is being repaired or replaced. This can impact:
- Travelling for work (if you can work with your injuries).
- Getting your children to and from school or activities.
- Attending doctors’ appointments and other medical treatments.
Figuring out life without your vehicle only adds to the overall stress of the accident.
Time Commitments After An Accident
Not all the time you spend related to your injuries will be “on the clock.” Though you might not miss time from work, you will likely have to spend time going to doctors’ appointments and pharmacies. Taking care of your medical needs requires time. You may be eligible to seek compensation for the stress and inconvenience of driving to these appointments and missing other activities in your life.
You may also be entitled to seek compensation for the hours you spend getting a rental car, arranging for your own vehicle to be repaired or replaced, and dealing with other matters related to your accident claim. So, how do you pursue damages for the time you must spend? With lost wages, your employer can document exactly how many hours you missed and what your hourly rate of pay is.
This statement makes it easy to calculate the exact value of your lost wages. Things work a little differently for the time you spend off the clock. This time is not tallied and itemized. Instead, it is helpful to have a general idea of how many doctor’s appointments you had, how long you spent getting your car repaired, and other time you were forced to spend on business related to the accident. Your injury lawyer may use these details to support your claim for general compensation for your pain and suffering.
Vehicle Repair Costs From An Accident
We all know that vehicle repairs can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, and many people lack the funds to cover these costs. You need to fix your car so you can have reliable transportation, but paying for these expenses out of pocket can damage your overall financial situation.
Dealing With Traffic Citations Following Your Accident
The law requires you to report car accidents to the police, and this can result in officers issuing traffic tickets to those involved. An officer might issue you a ticket when you did nothing wrong, and you may need to address this matter in traffic court, possibly with help from a traffic attorney. If you do not properly address your citation, it can cause your insurance rates to go up or lead to other consequences.
Insurance Premium Increases After An Accident
If your insurance company determines that you were even partially to blame for an accident, it can raise your premiums substantially. Even a slight increase can add up quickly over time, and you may want to avoid losing these funds, especially if you were not at fault.
Emotional Issues From Your Car Accident
There are many mental health conditions that can develop as a result of a car accident. Many injury victims suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a common condition after a frightening incident that placed you in danger. Victims might also experience anxiety or frustration while dealing with the injuries and readjusting to daily life. Some injury victims develop debilitating phobias. For example, if you were struck while riding your bike, you might find it terrifying to go near your bike again.
You may be eligible to seek reimbursement for the medical bills you incur while meeting with therapists, psychiatrists, and other medical providers to treat these conditions. You may also be able to pursue compensation for the pain and suffering that is associated with these diagnoses. Since many of these conditions can be incapacitating, you might be able to file a claim for your losses and medical treatment to help address your symptoms.
Lasting Physical Car Accident Injuries
Many car accident victims endure pain and suffering long after their injury claim has been settled. That’s why it’s important to account for potential long-term effects before reaching a settlement. In such cases, you may have the right to pursue compensation for future pain and suffering as part of your claim if your injuries are expected to have lasting effects. However, how do you know the value of something that has not happened yet? This is a complex issue that our injury lawyers can help you tackle.
We work with medical experts to describe the physical effects of your injuries. These medical professionals can also testify about lasting effects, such as scarring, that will be with you for the rest of your life. They can describe the physical pain and complications you are likely to endure. With their insights and testimonies, we can assess and present evidence of your current and anticipated non-economic losses.
It can be helpful to have a log of the ways you have already been affected by your injuries. Showing that you have lost sleep, worried about your job, had fights with your loved ones, and suffered other losses will help detail the ways in which your life will continue to be affected after your injury claim has been settled.
We recognize that your injuries may have a lasting effect on your quality of life. You may not be able to return to work, which can also lead to emotional loss. In some cases, you might miss out on travel or events. You could permanently lose a sense of community among friends with whom you can no longer play sports. All of these ongoing emotional losses decrease the quality of a person’s life. Our attorneys can help document and present these losses to the insurance company or, if necessary, to a jury to show how your injuries may continue to affect your life.
Short-Term Car Accident Injuries
Even though you might not have permanent injuries with long-term effects, even a short-term injury can affect your life in many ways. You can still incur significant medical bills, lose income if you need to take a few days or weeks off work, and spend money on short-term help with childcare, housework, and other basic tasks.
Deaths Of Close Family Members From Fatal Accidents
One of the most devastating losses that can ever happen from a crash is that someone does not survive. Family members who lose a close loved one in an accident may consider learning about their options for a possible wrongful death claim by speaking with an attorney. This claim can help your financial situation after a tragic loss.
Legal Issues Regarding Your Car Accident
Most injury victims end up losing at least some time at work due to their injuries. If your injuries are mild, this lost time might only be the day of the accident. Most injuries, however, will force you to continue missing work throughout your recovery. You may be eligible to seek compensation for the wages you lose when your injuries prevent you from working.
If you use your sick time or PTO to cover time off related to the accident, you can be compensated for these benefits as well. Our legal team will prepare the documentation necessary to help you pursue damages for your lost income. Injury victims may also be eligible to seek payment for overtime pay, commissions, bonuses, and other forms of compensation.
Pain And Suffering From Car Accident Injuries
Recovering from injuries is not always a simple process, as setbacks and complications may arise. There is physical pain and discomfort. There can also be emotional suffering, such as losing sleep, worrying about your job, and becoming frustrated with your progress, which can all make a victim frustrated and anxious. These are very real losses. Even though they cannot be seen on an X-ray or MRI, compensation may be available for these losses.
Our car accident lawyers will help you document all the ways your life is changed in the days and weeks after a car accident. It can be helpful to keep a journal with details about the ways you are affected. You may not remember the nights you lost sleep or the days you were anxious at work, but a log of these details can jog your memory and can serve as evidence at trial.
Credit Effects From A Car Accident
Another common result of a car accident is a drop in credit score. An injury victim might run up credit card debt just to pay their medical bills. If your case drags on, you might get behind on the rent or utility payments. These circumstances can result in a drop in your credit score. Even if you are just behind on your bills, your financial reputation has still been hurt because of the accident.
Impact Of A Car Accident On Your Relationships
It is common for an injury victim’s friends and family members to also be affected by their injuries. Caring for an injured family member or friend is stressful. Over weeks of care, this burden can place a strain on the relationship. Your caregiver will likely be worn out and worried about their own obligations.
It is very common for spouses to fight when they are dealing with the stress of an injury. Even couples who normally get along can become snippy under the stress of physical pain, not getting enough sleep, and trying to meet all their obligations with limited physical capacity. There are other emotional burdens as well. The toll that injuries take on a relationship can be devastating. Injury victims may be able to seek compensation for that emotional loss as well.
Steps To Minimize The Negative Effects Of Your Car Accident
While you might feel like your car accident has ruined your life, there are some things you can do to protect your rights and support your potential claim. Some of them include:
Consider Consulting A Car Accident Lawyer
The first thing you should do after a car wreck is to seek medical attention. After that, consider consulting a California car accident attorney to help you explore your legal options. The lawyers from Arash Law can review the facts of your case and assess whether you can file a claim against another party.
Choose A Lawyer Who Can Help Address Your Needs
As a car accident victim, you should keep in mind that pursuing car accident claims can be complicated and may need guidance from an attorney. Just as you would want a cardiac surgeon for open-heart surgery, you may want a car accident lawyer to manage your auto collision case. Our legal team strives to advocate for the rights of individuals who have been injured. We can build a case tailored to your specific circumstances.
Seek A Lawyer Who Is Concerned About Your Injuries
Consider choosing an attorney who takes the time to understand how your injuries affected your life. A professional and compassionate approach can make it easier to navigate the legal process and pursue the compensation you may be entitled to.
Address Your Injuries
It’s vitally important that you address your injuries by seeking medical attention and following your treatment plan as closely as possible. Failing to do so could hurt your potential claim.
Ask If Your Case Can Be Taken On A Contingency Basis
Ask whether your lawyer can handle your case on contingency. This means that your attorney will only collect legal fees if they obtain compensation on your behalf, although certain case expenses still apply regardless of the outcome. Our law firm offers free initial consultations and handles injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This allows you to retain legal representation without upfront costs, and legal fees apply only if a recovery is made.
Contact Our California Car Accident Lawyers
A quick online search for “car accident lawyers near me” will show you dozens of options for car crash attorneys in your area. So how do you decide on which one to choose? The skilled accident attorneys at Arash Law have decades of experience helping clients handle a wide range of auto accident claims. We serve clients throughout California, helping them protect their legal rights.
We extend our services to accident victims in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Riverside, Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, San Jose, San Diego, Fresno, Sacramento, Sherman Oaks, and throughout California. You can call us at (888) 488-1391 or complete our “Do I Have A Case?” form to schedule your free initial consultation. We can discuss your case and communicate with insurance companies as needed. Speaking with our car accident lawyers may help you better understand your legal options.
