How To Determine The Long-Term Damages Of A Car Accident

Calculating the current damages you have suffered as a result of an accident is hard enough. However, you will also need to predict the future damages you might experience as a result of the accident.

Long-Term Medical Expenses

Medical care following a car accident can be very expensive. You will also need to continue to pay for medical damages for years to come. These can include additional surgeries, rehabilitation, and assistive devices. You may also suffer from chronic pain and you might need to receive a strong prescription medication to help treat these symptoms.

If you are not able to take care of yourself after the accident, you may need in-home care or you might need to go to an assisted living facility. These services can be very expensive and you have the right to receive compensation to pay for them.

A Lifetime of Lost Wages

Your car accident can affect your career in various ways. You might not be able to work for weeks, months, or even years, or be able to return to the workforce. In addition to missing wages you would have otherwise earned, you may miss out on bonuses and promotions. A great auto accident attorney can help you calculate these economic damages and non-economic damages as well.

While you may quantify the economic damages you have suffered, non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, are more difficult to quantify. Your non-economic damages are determined through a multiplier method rather than by calculating or estimating the financial losses you will suffer. This means that your economic damages will be multiplied by a number from one to five to determine the non-economic damages.

Long-Term Pain and Suffering

You must not only take into consideration the current pain and suffering you have experienced, but the pain and suffering you might experience in the future. If your medical team believes that you will be in pain for years to come, you may be entitled to more in compensation. However, this will also depend on how old you are and what your life expectancy is. You may be able to expect more in compensation if you're young and you are expected to be in pain for the rest of your life. 

Once you have determined the extent of the damages you have suffered and how long you will be affected by the accident, you will be better prepared to negotiate a settlement. To learn more information, reach out to an auto accident attorney near you.