Did you know that there are more than 6 million car accidents in the U.S. every year? Some involve minor crashes, while others are fatal. Additionally, many fall in between these extremes.
If you are a car accident victim, you have the legal right to receive compensation for your damages. The easiest damage you can prove and collect after an accident is physical damage.
But what about the non-economical damages you encounter? How can you receive compensation for these?
Here is a guide to help you learn how to pursue compensation for your non-economic damages after a car accident.
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Common Types of Damages From Car Accidents
Road accident victims can sue for damages after an accident. In addition, they can file a personal injury claim after the accident to settle the case. The most common type of damage people ask for is property damage.
Property damage is easy to assess, as it refers to the direct damages to a person’s car or possessions damaged in an accident. Insurance companies can quickly evaluate a vehicle’s worth to settle this amount.
Suing for property damage is one option, but it’s also relatively easy to collect other types of damages from a car accident. For example, requesting compensation for medical bills is fairly straightforward.
The main factor is proving that the medical issues resulted from the car crash. If you have evidence of this, you can request compensation.
Another damage you can ask for is lost wages. For example, if your accident caused you to miss work, it’s relatively simple to calculate how much you lost by calculating your missed wages.
Assessing these economic damages isn’t tricky, but calculating non-economic damages can be more challenging.
What Are Non-Economic Damages?
A car accident doesn’t just cause damage to a car and a person’s body. Instead, it can also damage other things that are not as easy to prove.
Therefore, non-economic damages are damages you experience that exceed the property and bodily damage you experience.
They refer to emotional types of damages you encounter from being injured or traumatized in a car collision. Economic damages have a clear value, whereas non-economical damages don’t.
As a result, proving that you should receive non-economical damages is more complicated. However, it’s not impossible.
If you’ve suffered non-economical issues from an accident, you’ll want to begin by searching for the best local car accident lawyer. An attorney can help you determine what you’re entitled to and how to prove it.
Types of Non-Economic Damages
To better understand this, let’s look at some examples of non-economic damages. Here are some you might qualify for with your lawsuit:
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that results from trauma. For example, the trauma you go through during a car accident can cause significant emotional distress, leading to PTSD.
PTSD is one form of emotional distress you might experience after a car accident, but there are others. Unfortunately, it’s hard to measure emotional distress, making it more challenging to receive compensation.
Pain and Suffering
When you encounter injuries from a crash, you might also experience pain and suffering. How can you measure the pain you have, though? Unfortunately, it’s difficult to measure pain, making it challenging to request compensation.
Suffering from pain is something that you can request money for, though, and you should.
Loss of Enjoyment in Life
Another non-economic damage you can seek money for is loss of enjoyment in life. If you lost enjoyment in life due to your injuries or trauma, you could request money for compensation.
Insomnia
One additional example is insomnia. Insomnia is another form of mental anguish you might suffer after a traumatic car collision.
Top Ways to Prove These
Now that you understand non-economical damages, you can learn how to prove them in your case. With the proper proof, you should have fewer challenges receiving compensation for them.
Mental Health Reports and Receipts
When you suffer from emotional and mental trauma, you might seek professional help. For example, you might visit a therapist to have someone to talk to about your issues.
You might also seek help from your doctor if you need medication.
In any case, you can use these reports, evaluations, and receipts to prove the non-economic damages you’re going through from the car accident. If you have these things, give them to your attorney.
A Journal
Another way to prove non-economic damages is through a journal. If you hire a car accident lawyer after your accident, they will suggest writing down your thoughts.
You can use a regular notebook for your journal and write as much as you want in it. You can also write as often as you’d like.
The goal is to write the things that bother you after the accident. For example, write it down if you’re having trouble sleeping or experiencing nightmares.
Additionally, include details about how you feel if you can’t enjoy going to the beach or riding your bike because of your injuries.
When you present your journal to the court, they’ll see the effects of your car accident. Therefore, your journal will prove the damages you’ve suffered.
Testimony From People Who Know You
You can also ask people you know to provide testimony that backs your case. For example, if you’re married, your spouse could testify. Your spouse could tell the court the differences between you before and after the accident.
You can also ask friends, relatives, or co-workers to testify for you.
Fight for the Non-Economic Damages You’re Entitled to Receive
Car accidents can devastate your life and health. Talk to a lawyer if you want to pursue compensation for physical and non-economic damages after your recent collision.
You need a car accident lawyer for help settling an accident, as lawyers understand how to fight for the highest compensation packages available.
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