Motorcycle accident injuries and suffering can be severe. An accident victim may be left with significant financial expenses for hospitalizations, ongoing medical treatment, lost wages, and emotional trauma. This makes it essential to understand the kinds of compensation, damages, and other options so that one can pursue the recovery he/she deserve.
Understand the Kinds of Compensation, Damages, and Other Options
Economic Damages
For economic damages, it means losing a dollar amount that can be computed using receipts, bills, or pay stubs. Examples:
- Medical expenses: Hospital bills, surgeries, physical therapy, and prescription costs.
- Lost wages: Income lost while you recover, plus reduced earning potential if you can’t return to work fully.
- Property damage: Repair or replacement of your motorcycle and riding gear.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages deal with non-financial losses. They are as follows:
- Pain and suffering: Physical discomfort and long-term complications.
- Emotional distress: Anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Â
- Loss of enjoyment of life: When injuries prevent you from hobbies or other daily activities that you used to enjoy.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are only awarded in rare cases when the wrongful conduct of the party at fault goes to extreme levels of negligence or recklessness, for example, driving under the influence. Rather than compensating the victim, these damages are awarded to punish the wrongdoer and deter such behavior from recurring.
Factors That Influence Compensation
Your compensation may also be determined by the following factors: severity of injury, fault is clear, insurance coverage available to cover damages, and the degree to which these injuries affect your long-term earning capacity. Also, detailed medical records and strong legal representation can significantly affect recovery.
Importance of Legal Assistance
Insurance companies are often looking for ways to minimize what they will pay out. Having an experienced attorney on your side ensures that all damage – economic and non-economic – will have a proper accounting and resolution with your claim. Legal assistance will help settle the matter for the maximum compensation possible while one can focus on recovery.
This article was written by Alla Tenina. Alla is a top personal injury lawyer Sherman Oaks CA, and the founder of Tenina Law. She has experience in bankruptcies, real estate planning, and complex tax matters. The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; the ABA and its members do not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites.