The Potential Costs of a Car Accident
Serious car accidents are traumatic. If you were injured in a crash, you may be left dealing with many consequences, ranging from physical to financial and emotional. As experienced accident lawyers in South Carolina, we know how devastating these accidents can be. We provide clear, honest answers about your options for pursuing compensation. For a free claim evaluation, please call Whetstone Perkins & Fulda.
Car accidents are costly, and in more than one way. The way it affects you and your family will be unique from other accident victims. Our attorneys fight aggressively to pursue compensation for each and every way you have been affected. Below, see some of the most common costs of a crash.
Medical Costs
Some of the biggest injury expenses stem from medical care. Each injury is different, but some combination of the following costs usually apply:
- Ambulance to the emergency room
- Emergency room care
- Surgery
- Medical treatments
- Doctor’s visit
- Prescriptions
- Follow-up care
- Rehabilitative treatments
- Physical therapy
Even with health insurance, these costs can quickly exceed yearly maximums. The bills can leave the injured person and their family with a great deal of debt.
In claims handled by our lawyers, we fight for maximum compensation for our clients. One of the things we are fighting for is payment of medical treatment. Not only are initial bills expensive, but the injury may require ongoing treatments into the future, which the injured victim should also be paid for.
Work Loss Costs
A serious injury can make it impossible to earn your normal income given the following circumstances:
- The injury prevents you from performing your job duties
- You miss work days because of medical appointments related to your injury
- Court appointments cause you to miss work
- You can’t get to work because your car is damaged
Even if your employer offers paid time off, vacation or sick time that you can use while you recover from your injury, this time may run out before a doctor clears you to return to work. Or your job may offer none of these benefits. In either case the result can be reduced wages. This issue compounds the other problems caused by an accident: How do you pay deductibles and for your basic needs if you can’t make a living? Another thing our lawyers fight for is payment for lost income.
Vehicle Damage and Insurance Policy Premiums
Damage to your car and an increase on your insurance premiums are two more costs. If you make a claim through your own insurance company, you may see a rate hike. It is possible you will not see this increase if the accident wasn’t your fault. Consult our attorneys to see if this is possible in your situation.
You rely on your vehicle to get you around. Errands, transporting your family, getting to work – these are just some of the basic things people rely on their cars for. A serious auto accident may have not only injured you, but put your vehicle out of commission as well. This may mean you have to pay for a rental car as well as for the cost of repair. Ask our attorneys whether you may be entitled to damages for these losses.
Emotional, Mental and Lifestyle Costs
Certain costs are more difficult to measure. A severe physical injury can leave you scarred in ways that are not outwardly apparent:
- Depression and anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Mental trauma
- Mental anguish
- Emotional suffering
- Reduced quality of life
Although these things may not leave the type of physical wounds that people can see, they are no less life-altering. Compensation is recovered for these types of injuries in certain cases. While investigating your claim, our attorneys will determine all of the ways the injury has impacted your life and well-being.
Do You Have a Claim?
For a FREE claim evaluation, please contact the attorneys at Whetstone Perkins & Fulda. With offices in Kingstree, Columbia and Myrtle Beach, our experienced attorneys fight on behalf of injured victims from across the state of South Carolina. Rely on us to provide straightforward answers about your options.
