In addition to severe physical pain, seriously injured car accident victims often experience severe financial strain. Serious injuries often require expensive long-term medical care and treatment. The cost of treating a serious head injury, spinal cord injury, brain injury, broken bone injury, amputation injury or burn injury can soar into the millions.
According to a reputable brain and spinal cord injury organization, it is estimated that a moderate brain injury can cost $940,000 to treat and a severe brain injury can cost more than $3 million to treat. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that a serious burn injury can cost approximately $200,000 just in initial treatment costs.
Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Under personal injury law, victims of serious injuries may be entitled to financial compensation for accident-related damages. In a personal injury claim, economic and non-economic damages may be awarded. Examples of economic damages, include:
• Medical expenses – hospital visits, surgeries, rehabilitation, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, x-rays and medical devices
• Wages – wages lost due to time away from work and in cases of permanent disability, future lost wages
• Benefits – loss of retirement benefits, health care coverage and other benefits due to the inability to work.
Examples of non-economic damages, include:
• Pain and suffering – physical pain and emotional suffering associated with a car accident injury
• Physical impairment
• Shortened life expectancy
• Disfigurement
• Diminished quality of life.
Burden of Proof
For a victim to recover economic and non-economic damages, the victim must meet a burden of proof, meaning the victim must prove their injuries were caused by someone else’s wrongful actions. The victim must prove the defendant (person or entity responsible for the accident) owed him or her a duty of care, failed to uphold the duty of care and as a result of breeching the duty of care caused the accident and resulting injury. Without the assistance of a competent Oakland car accident injury lawyer, victims may find it difficult to prove negligence. A car collision lawyer with years of experience handling cases of a similar nature can help victims prove their injuries were caused through no fault of their own using preserved evidence and expert witness testimonies.
Importance of Trial Experience
In your quest for an Oakland personal injury attorney, make sure the attorney you select has proven trial experience. Many personal injury attorneys do not have experience presenting a case to a judge and jury and could risk a fair settlement outcome if the case is not taken to court. Your attorney should not hesitate to take a case to court if negotiations are stalled or a fair settlement cannot be reached in a timely manner.
