What Kinds of Damages Can I Win in a Car Accident Case?
When you sue for compensation after a car accident, damages are generally divided into two broad categories.
There are economic damages that cover the direct financial costs of a car crash. This can include medical bills, repair or replacement costs for your vehicle and any lost wages from time you needed to take off from work due to your injuries.
Your compensation shouldn’t be calculated with just immediate costs in mind. A reasonable offer should also account for future medical expenses and any loss of earning potential if your injuries limit the work you can do.
Then there are non-economic damages. These are the costs of a car accident that can’t be easily measured in dollars.
Non-economic damages can include physical pain, emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life, often grouped together as pain and suffering.
Getting seriously injured in a car or motorcycle accident can be a life-altering trauma. You may be able to seek compensation for the pain and distress this has put you through, as well as your medical bills, lost wages and other financial costs.
How much your case is worth is largely determined by how serious your injuries are, what kind of care you need and how your injuries will continue to affect your ability to work and support yourself.
A Fort Wayne personal injury attorney can help you fight for a fair settlement that takes all of the costs of your crash into account.
Start with a FREE case consultation.
How Do Insurance Limits Affect What My Car Accident Case Is Worth?
What your losses are worth and what you can realistically recover aren’t always the same.
In many car accident cases, the at-fault driver’s insurance policy limits set a practical ceiling on a settlement.
Indiana requires drivers to carry at least $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person and $50,000 per crash. Medical bills and lost wages from a serious injury can pass those amounts quickly.
When the other driver’s coverage falls short, other sources may help close the gap:
- Your own underinsured motorist coverage
- Your uninsured motorist coverage if the other driver had no insurance
- A commercial policy if the driver was working at the time of the crash
- Other parties who share fault for the crash
Indiana generally requires insurers to offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage with auto policies.
Unless you turned it down in writing, you may have this protection without realizing it.
An Indiana car accident lawyer from Fletcher Van Gilder can review every policy involved and help you pursue all available sources of compensation.
