What Compensation Can I Get After a Car Accident?
A car accident in Kentucky can disrupt your life. You may suffer serious personal injuries that take you out of work and require thousands of dollars in medical treatments. A car accident could also damage or total your car. Filing an injury claim after a car accident could lead to reimbursement for your losses in the form of money damages. The compensation you can get after a car accident will depend on the nature of your losses and the insurance coverage available.
Past and Future Medical Expenses
The most common type of compensation after a car accident is medical damages. You can recuperate the costs of your past and future medical expenses with a successful insurance claim or injury lawsuit. Medical damages can pay for all necessary treatments, including x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, surgeries, emergency or ICU care, ambulance fees, rehabilitation, physical therapy, psychological therapy, medications, and live-in or nursing care. It could also pay for the travel expenses to a doctor or specialist.
If the car accident gave you a catastrophic injury that will affect you for the foreseeable future, you can also seek money damages for your future medical costs. Any treatments, appointments, medications, medical devices, home or vehicle modifications, or rehabilitation sessions you will need for your catastrophic injury can go on your damage claim. You may need help from a personal injury attorney to accurately estimate your future medical expenses.
Lost Wages
Many car accident injuries take survivors out of work temporarily or permanently. If you broke your arm and cannot perform the essential functions of your job, for example, you may need to take several weeks off of work while you heal. In this scenario, you could qualify for lost wage damages. You may be able to seek the full amount of your income if your injury prevents you from working entirely. If you can return to work in a limited capacity for lesser pay, a lost wage award could make up the difference between what you used to make and what you currently make. In the event of a permanent disability and the loss of your job, you could collect lost wage damages for life.
Property Damage
A successful case could also reimburse you for any money you had to spend to repair or replace your damaged vehicle after a car accident. If your vehicle was repairable, you can seek the exact amount of money it will take to restore your car to its pre-crash state. If your vehicle is a total loss, you can recover the actual pre-crash value of your vehicle. You could also seek damages for any other property lost in the wreck, such as a cellphone or laptop.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering refers to all noneconomic damages from a car accident. These are intangible losses such as physical pain, emotional suffering, anguish, distress, fear, stress, depression, lost quality of life, lost enjoyment of life, and permanent scarring or disfigurement. The value of your pain and suffering damages directly correlates with the severity of your injuries and how greatly they impact you.
Punitive Damages
If the party at fault for causing your car accident was guilty of recklessness, maliciousness, fraud or gross negligence, you may be eligible for punitive damages. This is an award given to punish a defendant for serious wrongdoing. The amount awarded in punitive damages, if any, is up to a judge.
Who Pays for Losses After a Car Accident in Kentucky?
Kentucky is a no-fault car insurance state, meaning your own auto insurance provider will pay for your damages up to your policy’s maximum. Your personal injury protection coverage will pay for your medical bills, while your property damage insurance will pay for vehicle repairs. If you have serious enough injuries, you can bring a claim against the other driver’s insurance company. A car accident attorney in Louisville can help you seek full compensation for your losses.