Getting hurt in an accident causes more than just physical pain. Your injury might force you to miss work or limit your ability to care for your family. Aside from your immediate medical expenses, there are a lot of extra costs associated with being injured.
If someone else’s careless or reckless conduct caused the accident, you are likely entitled to pursue monetary damages. A Bryan personal injury lawyer could investigate the circumstances of your accident and help you pursue financial compensation for your setbacks.
When an innocent person suffers injuries in an accident, the law offers them options to help them seek money from other parties. For instance, the injured person could claim their losses from any negligent individual whose actions contributed to the accident and injury. This financial compensation is often substantial and can provide reimbursement for many different complications.
Economic Damages
Economic damages provide repayment for expenses with a verifiable cost, such as medical care, rehabilitation, emergency transportation, and lost wages. This compensation essentially provides repayment for any expense a person would not have faced if they were not injured.
For example, some injuries require ongoing care and future medical intervention. In other cases, an injury is so severe that it will prevent the individual from going back to their former job. They may not be able to work anywhere or live on their own. Fortunately, economists and medical experts could develop projections of these future losses and help factor them into a plaintiff’s claim.
Non-economic Damages
Meanwhile, non-economic damages offer coverage for the more subjective or less tangible aspects of an injury. Many people think of the term “pain and suffering” when considering non-economic compensation, but these repayments cover more complications. For example, non-economic damages provide compensation for:
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Inconvenience
- Embarrassment
- Disability
- Reduced enjoyment of daily life
- Loss of companionship
The value of non-economic damages awarded in a case is complicated to determine and depends on many factors, including the age of the injured person and the way that the suffering impacted the plaintiff’s life.
Punitive Damages
Finally, punitive damages are unique repayments that are not an option in most injury cases. Courts only award punitive damages when a defendant’s conduct is outrageous, intentional, or grossly negligent. This behavior also needs to result in someone else being seriously injured.
Courts might award punitive damages if, for example, a manufacturer sold a drug it knew was dangerous and many people developed severe health complications as a result. Sometimes courts also levy punitive damages against drunk drivers who kill or severely injure others in a wreck.
An experienced attorney in Bryan could assess an accident to determine the full value and types of damages that a plaintiff deserves for their injury claim.
Anyone who suffers injuries due to someone else’s carelessness should consult a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible. If a public employee was involved in the accident or if it happened on government property, seeking legal assistance becomes even more important, since
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §101.0215 requires plaintiffs to file a notice of their claim with the appropriate government office within six months.
If a government agency or organization is not a defendant, an injured person can file their lawsuit at any point within two years of the injury. Certain circumstances could extend this period, such as being unaware that a surgeon left a sponge in the body until years later. However, in general, the sooner an injured person seeks legal advice, the more likely they will receive a fair settlement.
When a plaintiff seeks legal representation quickly, a proactive attorney in Bryan has more time to investigate the accident and begin constructing a compelling personal injury lawsuit.
If you were injured in an accident, you may be confused about your legal options. Give yourself some relief by allowing a Bryan personal injury lawyer to handle the corresponding processes.
Professional representation could make all the difference in your case, so do not hesitate to reach out.
Call the office today to schedule an appointment and begin pursuing financial compensation.