A study by the Insurance Research Council found that accident victims that hire an attorney recover three and a half times more money on average than those who do not. One reason for this is that Bryan motorcycle accident lawyers can more accurately calculate your damages. Damages are the sums of money the at-fault party must pay to recompense you for your losses.
Without an attorney, you’re unlikely to know all the damages you have a right to pursue. For a full financial recovery, it is important not to exclude any damages from your claim; once you’ve accepted a settlement and signed a release form, you will never have another chance to claim more damages in the future for the same motorcycle accident.
There are three main types of damages: special, general, and punitive damages. Consider which of the following damages may apply to your case.
Special Damages
Most accident victims seek special damages, which cover losses that have a clear monetary value associated with them, such as medical bills and property damage. As previously mentioned, these types of damages can be especially high in motorcycle accident claims.
Medical Expenses
The most common special damage is medical expenses. You may pursue damages for all money spent on your medical treatment and recovery.
Motorcycle accident victims often suffer broken bones and road rash burns. Sometimes the injuries sustained are extremely severe such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and other life-threatening injuries.
When an injury is long-lasting or permanent, you may also seek damages for future medical expenses. With the assistance of medical professionals, your College Station motorcycle accident attorney can estimate the probable cost of all future medical treatment, even over an entire lifetime.
Property Damage
Your motorcycle may have been damaged or destroyed in an accident. You have a right to pursue compensation for any amount you’ve paid for repairs or in purchasing a replacement motorcycle. If you haven’t yet had your motorcycle repaired, you may be able to prove your property damage with an estimate from an approved mechanic.
Lost Wages
In many motorcycle claims, the injured motorcyclist is kept away from work for a prolonged period of time while recovering. Any kind of income you’ve lost as a result of your injuries can be included in your special damages.
If you’ve suffered injuries severe enough to reduce your long-term capacity to work, you may also seek damages for future lost wages. This predicted figure will also be carefully estimated by your motorcycle accident lawyer in College Station, perhaps with the assistance of a vocational rehabilitation expert.
General Damages
General damages are monies for losses that do not have a clear objective monetary value, such as physical pain or emotional suffering. Without the counsel of an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer in Bryan, TX, injured victims often fail to realize how much general damages they have a right to pursue. As a result, they leave money unclaimed.
Personal injury lawyers can make sure their clients avoid this mistake. They can determine all the general damages that should be included in the initial demand letter to the insurance company.
Pain and Suffering
Severe injuries can cause a great deal of physical pain, sometimes lifelong pain. You should be compensated for any pain and suffering you’ve experienced. Pain and suffering damages sometimes refer to all physical, emotional, and psychological suffering.
Emotional Distress
The upset and stress caused by an injury can be hugely detrimental to the life of an injured motorcycle rider. In more severe cases, the victim may suffer from anxiety disorders, depression, panic attacks, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Any such emotional and mental anguish should be financially compensated for.
Scarring and Disfigurement
When an injury and its treatment leave a victim scarred or disfigured, it can negatively impact the individual’s self-image, confidence, relationships, and career. Motorcycle accidents sometimes result in facial injuries such as lacerations, breaks, and road rash burns.
Amputations, nerve damage, and severe bone fractures can all cause disfigurement. And reconstructive surgery often leaves disfiguring scars.
Impairment and Disability
As a result of a serious injury, part of your body may become temporarily or permanently impaired. This means the body part has lost some degree of its prior movement or function.
If an impairment reduces your ability to enjoy a pastime or perform work-related activities as effectively as before, you have a disability. Both impairment and disability may be compensated for in your damages.
Loss of Enjoyment in Life
If your ability to enjoy any pleasurable pastime or activity has been reduced or lost because of your accident, it also counts as a loss for which you may seek compensation. People close to you may testify to how your enjoyment in life has been diminished.
Loss of Consortium
Due to the relatively high fatality rate, cases involving motorcycle accidents are often wrongful death claims. The most important damage in a wrongful death claim is often loss of consortium damages.
Loss of consortium damages is pursued by the surviving loved ones of the deceased accident victim. These damages refer to all the benefits previously derived from having the deceased individual in their life.
Lost relational benefits may include comfort, affection, financial support, emotional support, parental guidance, and more lost benefits. Motorcycle accident lawyers often handle wrongful death cases where the motorcycle accident victim has perished.
Punitive Damages
While special and general damages are meant to compensate motorcycle accident victims for their losses, punitive damages are designed as an added punishment for the at-fault drivers. Motorcycle accident cases may include punitive damages when the at-fault driver was acting with reckless or willful negligence, such as drunk driving or driving well above the speed limit. When auto accidents are caused by reckless negligence, a jury trial will often be required to win punitive damages successfully.