Even if you have good health insurance, car accident injuries can be expensive. Insurance might cover the medical bills, but serious injuries can cost a lot more than just a visit to the doctor’s office. If insurance won’t cover these injuries, you may need to file a car accident settlement. Here’s what you can ask for if you file it and how a lawyer can help get what you deserve.
Car accident settlements in Kansas
First, it’s important to know that Kansas has a no-fault car insurance system, which requires car owners to carry personal injury protection. If there’s an accident, each driver’s insurance should provide compensation for injury, property damage, and even lost income.
To file a settlement, your injury must be permanent or disfiguring, result in loss of function, or be a specific type of broken bone. Additionally, you can file a car wreck injury claim if you have exceeded your personal injury protection coverage.
What to do after a car accident
The most important things to do after a car accident include exchanging information with the other driver, getting contact information for any witnesses, calling the police, filing an insurance report, and getting a medical examination. Throughout this entire process, keeping up with any documentation or proof of liability is critical to your claim. This will provide concrete evidence of your injuries and the financial expenses resulting from them.
What you can ask for in a car accident lawsuit settlement
Lost wages
This may include wages you’ve already lost by being injured as well as future wages you’ll be unable to earn if your injury is chronic or incurable.
Medical care
Similarly, you can request reimbursement for medical bills you’ve already accrued as well as, any future medical requirements your doctor believes will be necessary.
Pain and suffering
Depending on the type of injury, the amount for this may vary greatly. Chronic traumatic brain injuries, for example, could result in much greater compensation than losing a finger. Moreover, if you don’t seek medical care within a day or two of the accident, the other party may argue that the injury is unrelated. You should always visit the doctor soon after an accident, even if you feel okay at the time.
Loss of enjoyment
You may be able to sue for distinct areas of your life that have suffered because of your injury. An injury can also cause a significant disruption in your daily activities (playing golf, running, painting), causing you to lose enjoyment of significant parts of your life.
Emotional distress
Emotional distress refers to how the car wreck affected you psychologically. Some car accident victims develop anxiety or insomnia, and it could take extensive counseling to resolve them.
Loss of consortium
This refers to how the injury has affected your family. For example, when a parent is chronically injured in a car wreck, it can affect the relationship between a parent and their child. This type of compensation may be paid directly to the family member, rather than the car accident victim.
Injury-related losses
If, for example, you had a trip scheduled and had to cancel nonrefundable plane tickets and lost a deposit on a hotel room, the other party can be held liable for those amounts.
Wrongful death
If a family member is killed as a result of another driver’s negligence, you can sue as their living representative for wrongful death. In some cases, multiple family members may be represented by a single lawyer, and the deceased’s estate acts as the plaintiff.
For more information
If you were involved in a car wreck, Kansas Injury Recovery can help! Working with one of our car accident injury attorneys means there will be someone in your corner, helping you navigate insurance companies, do detective work, and be prepared for trial. Contact us today at (866) 294-7467, or submit this form to know what your case is worth.
