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 are left suffering from their injuries. Injury victims are entitled to compensation for all the intangible losses they suffer as a result of a driver’s negligence. The experienced California car accident lawyers at our car accident law firm know how to prove the value of an injury victim’s intangible losses.
When you hire our team, you can rest assured that your legal right to compensation is being protected by skilled legal professionals. Don’t hesitate before getting an injury lawyer on your side. 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 are so much more than the physical pain and emotional suffering that comes 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 leaves the accident scene on a tow truck, you will need to figure out how you will get around without it while it is being repaired or replaced. This can impact:
- How you get to work (if you can work with your injuries)
- How you will get your children to and from school or activities
- How you will attend doctor’s appointments and other medical treatment
Figuring out life without your vehicle only adds to the stress of the accident overall.
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 doctor’s appointments and pharmacies. Taking care of your medical needs requires time. You are entitled to compensation for the stress and inconvenience of driving to these appointments and missing other activities in your life.
You are also entitled to 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 get compensation for this 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 will then 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 do not have the funds laying around 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 will need to address this matter in traffic court with a traffic attorney. If you do not properly address your citation, it can cause your insurance rates to go up or even impact your employment.
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 do not want to lose these funds 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 are entitled to compensation for the medical bills you incur while meeting with therapists, psychiatrists, and other medical providers to treat these conditions. You are also entitled to compensation for the pain and suffering that is associated with these diagnoses. Many of these conditions can be debilitating, and you are entitled to compensation for your losses, as well as medical care to treat your symptoms as much as possible.
Lasting Physical Car Accident Injuries
More often than not, car accident victims endure pain and suffering long after their injury claim has been settled. You are legally entitled to fair compensation for the pain and suffering you will endure in the future as a result of your injuries. But how do you know the value of something that has not happened yet? This problem is one that our injury lawyers deal with on a daily basis.
We work with medical experts to describe the physical effects of your injuries. Our medical experts can also testify about lasting effects, such as scarring, that will be with you the rest of your life. They can describe the physical pain and complications you are likely to endure. We work hard to prove the value of the emotional losses you will suffer, as well.
Here, too, it can be helpful to have a log of the ways you have already been affected by your injuries. Showing that you have already 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. Often, your injuries will have a lasting effect that decreases the overall quality of your life.
You might not be able to return to work, which could result in the emotional loss of pride in a job well done and supporting your loved ones. You might miss out on travel or events. You could permanently lose a sense of community amongst 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 know how to prove these losses to an insurance company or jury in order to prove the ways your quality of life will be affected by your injuries.
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 cause you to seek 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 should always learn about a possible wrongful death claim by speaking with an attorney as soon as possible. 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 are entitled to 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 all the documentation necessary to ensure that you have a strong claim for compensation for all the wages you lost. Injury victims are also entitled to compensation 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. Often, there are setbacks and complications. 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 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, you are entitled to compensation 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 make very compelling 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 not uncommon 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 are entitled to 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 ensure that you get the compensation you are due under California law. Some of
1. Hire a Car Accident Lawyer
The first thing you should do after a car wreck is contact a California car accident attorney at Arash Law led by famous attorney Arash Khorsandi. A lawyer will be able to review the facts of your case and determine whether you can file a claim against another party.
2. Make Sure You Hire the RIGHT Lawyer
As a car accident victim, you should keep in mind that not all attorneys are qualified to handle your car accident claim. Just like you would not want a podiatrist performing open heart surgery, it is not a good idea to retain an estate planning lawyer to handle your car accident case. Our talented legal team focuses on representing the rights of the injured. As a result, we know how to get victims like you the compensation you deserve.
3. Seek a Lawyer Who is Compassionate About Your Injuries
You should also look for an attorney who takes your case seriously and expresses compassion about your losses. Your attorney is working on your behalf, and you should be sure to work with someone who truly cares about getting you a fair settlement or award.
4. 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 significantly hurt your chances of obtaining the full value of your claim.
5. Make Sure Your Case is on a Contingency Basis
Finally, make sure that your attorney is handling your case on contingency. This means that your attorney will only collect legal fees if he or she obtains compensation on your behalf. Our firm offers free consultations and takes all injury cases on a contingency fee basis. As a result, you can retain our firm to represent you with zero up-front costs, and you will never owe us anything for legal fees unless we win your case.
Call Us Today to Speak with a California Car Accident Lawyer
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 know who is the best? Arash Khorsandi’s skilled accident attorneys at Arash Law have decades of experience handling all types of auto accident claims. Clients throughout California trust us to protect their important legal rights. Our legal team has collected over 500 Million dollars for clients throughout California.
We serve clients in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Riverside, Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, San Jose, San Diego, Fresno, Sacramento, Sherman Oaks, and all across the Golden State. Call (888) 488-1391 today to schedule your free consultation. You don’t have to fight against the insurance company and their lawyers on your own. The sooner you have a skilled car crash lawyer fighting on your side, the better protected your legal rights will be.
