If you have been seriously injured or hurt in a car accident or any personal injury accident in Ohio, you could be compensated for various economic and non-economic damages—or what your injuries have cost you monetarily, physically, emotionally, and mentally. After an accident, you may be busy thinking about improving your health and well-being and figuring out how you can pay your bills and get back to your life.
You don’t have to lead your case, which is especially hard to do if you need time to recover from an accident. A Columbus personal injury lawyer can review your compensation claim and determine what you could be compensated for and for how much. There’s no need to wait to pursue your case. You can review your options with an attorney today.
Medical Expenses
A personal injury accident damages award will almost always compensate you for accident-related medical expenses. These expenses include:
- Costs from doctor’s appointments
- Hospital stays
- Ambulance fees
- Emergency room visits
- Diagnostic tests
- Prescription medication costs
This category may also include regular ongoing rehabilitation care, such as physical therapy or in-home health services you might need because of the injury.
You should hold onto and track documentation showing your medical treatment costs. This paperwork can include medical records, medical bills, invoices, statements, canceled checks, itemized invoices, and receipts. An attorney may be able to get an affidavit or testimony from your physician or another medical professional or healthcare provider. Compensatory medical expenses can include those you will need in the future.
Lost Wages/Lost Earning Capacity
You may have missed several days, weeks, or even months of work after suffering accident injuries. You could be compensated for lost income or the income you otherwise would have earned if you had not gotten hurt.
If you cannot earn a paycheck, you and your family could fall behind in paying household expenses and other financial obligations, including medical bills. If you cannot do your job because of an injury and must take a lower-paying job, you may also obtain compensation for your loss of future earning capacity. It is also important to note that lost earning capacity can include any bonuses or lost opportunities for job advancement.
An attorney can prove your lost income with past pay stubs, income statements, tax documents, or a letter from your employer verifying your salary, work hours, and other information. If it helps your case for compensatory damages, a personal injury attorney can consult a vocational rehabilitation expert to assess how your physical injuries could affect your ability to work in the future and when you can go back to work. An attorney can also consult economists to determine your future earning ability in the workplace.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering refers to the physical pain you may have experienced and may continue to deal with as a result of your injuries. It can also include the emotional distress and mental anguish resulting from the accident, including trauma that affects your daily life.
Proving pain and suffering can be challenging as they are intangible damages, such as not measurable in dollar value and do not have an attached dollar amount attached. This is where witness testimony can support your claims about how accident injuries have changed your life. Witnesses can include loved ones who have cared for you since the accident or mental health professionals, such as a therapist or psychologist, who can weigh in on how emotional damage from the accident has affected you.
Documenting Pain and Suffering Damages Can Support Your Case
Keeping a daily journal to document the physical and emotional toll of your post-accident experiences is also helpful. Some keep a video diary to document their quality-of-life changes, which provides footage, and photographs of their injuries. You can decide on the methods that are easiest for you to document your losses.
Additionally, medical records, medical costs, and other documentation can support your claims. An accident lawyer can calculate the pain and suffering damages you should be compensated for. They can also assess the financial value of your claim or lawsuit and determine the accident settlement the liable party should pay.
Property Damage
Your vehicle, clothing, or other items may have been damaged in an accident, too. Other items could include your cell phone, laptop, jewelry, eyeglasses, and other items you want to be reimbursed for. Your insurance claim or accident lawsuit could compensate you for these losses.
Property damage could include the cost of repair to your vehicle or the replacement of your vehicle. You may be reimbursed for any repairs to damaged property or compensated for the fair market value of property that was lost as a result of the accident.
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Loss of Consortium/Loss of Companionship
Loss of consortium or loss of companionship is also another loss you could claim compensation for if your injury prevents you from maintaining a physical relationship with your spouse or keeps you from fully enjoying your relationship with your children and spouse. These claims have limited value unless the spouse is very seriously injured. Still, an attorney can advise you on seeking financial compensation for this loss.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages could be awarded on top of your other damages if the behavior or activity that injured you was deemed particularly unreasonable or careless. To be awarded punitive damages in Ohio, the defendant must have acted with malice or with fraud.
Time Limits Apply to Ohio Personal Injury Cases
If you are considering suing the defendant for damages, you have a limited time to do so. In Ohio, injured parties generally have two years from the accident date to file a personal injury case for damages they want to be compensated for, per Ohio Revised Code Section 2305.10.
If this statute of limitations deadline expires before you file your case, you risk losing your right to sue for damages. It is in your interest to hire a personal injury attorney as soon as you can. They will keep your case on track and file it within the statute of limitations deadline. They will take care of everything while you focus on the recovery process.
Seeking Compensation for an Accident? The Fitch Law Firm LLC Can Help
If you have been injured in an accident in Ohio, call The Fitch Law Firm LLC for legal representation today. For over 30 years, our legal team has been helping accident victims throughout the state recover full and fair compensation for their injuries. We know financial losses from an accident can set you back financially or otherwise. Negligent parties should pay when their recklessness or carelessness harms others, and our law office works diligently to ensure that happens.
You can fight back and demand you are compensated for your losses. Our attorneys will take on insurers to guard against you accepting a low insurance settlement offer that falls short of your needs. We take cases on a contingency basis, so if you hire us to represent you, we can start on your case promptly with no upfront fees or costs. Call us today toll-free for a free initial consultation.