Accidents are one of those horrible events that tend to completely change a person’s life. A victim of an accident can never be the same. They may suffer from serious physical injuries that can leave them scarred and disabled for life. Accidents also have psychological consequences. A victim may develop a phobia or end up with a mental condition that they may carry for life.
Then there are the financial difficulties. Victims often have to endure expenses related to medical bills, therapy, and replacing/repairing damaged property. There’s also the possibility of the breadwinner of the family losing their life due to someone else’s negligence or carelessness. This could spell disaster for the family.
As traumatic as accidents are, they tend to bring out the best in people. For some, it may awaken the fighting spirit within them. But the courage to fight won’t suffice. You need to bring the at-fault party under the strong arm of the law in the form of a personal injury case. You should get help to file a personal injury claim so that you get the compensation you deserve.
There are some who wonder, “What’s the point of a personal injury claim?” This article is for them. It discusses some of the reasons why filing a personal injury claim after an accident is the right thing to do.
It is the Right Thing to Do
Unlike their meaning, accidents are seldom mistakes. They are the product of someone’s carelessness, negligence, or recklessness.
You don’t need someone else to tell you that avoiding alcohol before driving or not talking on the phone while driving is harmful. This is common knowledge. But when someone still decides to do it despite the presence of laws and authorities, it calls for consequences.
Personal injury claims are the right course of action for anyone who’s injured due to someone else’s negligence. The at-fault party can’t and shouldn’t be let off lightly. The victim has the right to drag the at-fault party to court and make them pay.
To Get Compensation for Your Injuries
This is the primary purpose of personal injury claims. As said before, a victim goes through several levels of suffering after an accident. Some may calm down after a while, but their scars remain.
Compensation helps restore some level of normalcy to a victim’s life. Yes, it doesn’t bring back a loved one who lost their life or the car that you kept in your father’s memory. But it does contribute to it, at least to some extent.
As a victim, you can expect to recover the following damages through a personal injury claim.
- Economic Damages: Also called special damages, economic damages compensate the out-of-pocket expenses a victim incurs due to their injuries. The damages covered include:
- Medical Expenses
- Lost Income
- Property Damage
- Household/Assistance Services
- Loss of Irreplaceable Items
- Non-Economic Damages: Also known as general damages, non-economic damages help compensate for the non-measurable losses a victim suffers. Non-economic damages are harder to calculate. The damages covered under non-economic damages include:
- Pain and Suffering
- Physical Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of Reputation
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life
- Physical Impairment
- Mental Trauma
- Loss of Companionship
These may sound easy to read, but each has its own set of complexities. This is where the expertise of a lawyer is needed. They have the knowledge and skill to prove the damages you have suffered and get you fair compensation.
It is a Reminder that Negligence Won’t be Tolerated
A personal injury claim is proof that negligence, carelessness, or recklessness aren’t tolerated. Every individual has the responsibility to act in a way that doesn’t cause harm to others. And when it happens, the at-fault party must be punished.
Putting the at-fault party through a personal injury claim also sends out a clear message that any action that harms others, intentionally or unintentionally, has consequences.
On top of the existing compensatory damages, in some cases, the at-fault party will also be asked to pay punitive damages. They serve to punish the at-fault party with additional financial distress as a penalty for their negligence or gross recklessness.
Final Thoughts
Every individual has the duty to act in a manner that doesn’t cause injury/discomfort to them or others around them. When an individual fails in this duty, they must face consequences.
Although there are plenty of resources available on the internet, they don’t compare to the skills of a lawyer. If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you must get in touch with a personal injury lawyer to find out how you can seek compensation for your losses.
