Understanding the Long-Term Costs of a Serious Car Accident

If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious car accident, it will be important for you to make an informed decision about whether to take legal action. Among other things, this means making sure you have a clear understanding of the accident’s long-term costs. Serious accidents can lead to significant long-term costs for victims and their families, and hiring an experienced Doylestown accident lawyer to seek just compensation can be essential for managing these costs in the future.

7 Common Long-Term Costs Resulting from Serious Car Accidents

Here are seven common long-term costs resulting from serious car accidents:

1. Medical Expenses

Medical expenses are often among victims’ and family members’ most immediate concerns. But, while medical bills can add up quickly after a serious car accident, they can also continue adding up for years (or even decades) to come. When serious accident-related injuries have long-term or permanent consequences, victims and their families need to do what they can to make sure they will be able to cover these expenses in the future.

2. Other Out-of-Pocket Costs

Serious accident-related injuries can lead to other ongoing out-of-pocket costs as well. Some examples of other common long-term out-of-pocket costs include:

• Prescription and over-the-counter medications
• Medical devices (i.e., wheelchairs and crutches) and medical supplies
• Home and vehicle modifications to accommodate disabilities
• Transportation for medical appointments and other purposes
• In-home care, childcare and other necessary services

If you have a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania, these are all long-term costs that you can—and should—seek to recover. Even if these costs are manageable in the short-term (which may or may not be the case), they can amount to serious financial burdens over time.

3. Lost Income and Benefits

If you or your loved one will be unable to work as a result of the accident, you are also entitled to seek just compensation for the loss of income and benefits resulting from the collision. If you were working prior to the collision (or if you have worked in the past), you can seek just compensation based on your income and employment history. If you need to file a personal injury claim on behalf of your child, you can seek just compensation for your child’s loss of future income and benefits if he or she suffered a disabling injury that restricts (or eliminates) his or her earning potential.

4. Pain, Suffering and Emotional Trauma

Beyond out-of-pocket costs and lost earnings, serious accident-related injuries can lead to various long-term non-financial losses as well. These include pain, suffering and emotional trauma.

“Pain and suffering” refers to the physical effects of living with a serious traumatic injury. While some accident victims will be able to make a full recovery, others will experience pain and suffering for the rest of their lives. In these cases, victims can seek financial compensation for their pain and suffering—above and beyond the compensation they need to cover the costs of their pain medications and future medical needs.

Emotional trauma refers to the psychological effects of living with the consequences of a life-altering accident. Similar to pain and suffering, accident victims who experience long-term emotional trauma are entitled to compensation above and beyond the costs of their care.

5. Scarring and Disfigurement

When serious accidents leave victims with permanent scars or disfiguring injuries (including loss of digits and limbs due to trauma or amputation), these are also non-financial losses for which victims and their families can—and should—seek just compensation. Not only do permanent scars and disfiguring injuries serve as daily reminders of the trauma victims have endured, but in many cases they cause chronic pain and lifelong psychological challenges as well.

6. Loss of Consortium, Companionship, Society and Support

Loss of consortium, companionship, society and support are also common non-financial costs associated with life-altering trauma. These all relate to the impacts that physical and emotional trauma have on victims’ relationships with their spouses, children, friends and other loved ones. While the specific losses victims can recover in this category depend on their specific circumstances, in nearly all cases, compensation for these losses has the potential to be substantial.

7. Loss of Enjoyment of Life

For accident victims of all ages, suffering debilitating or disfiguring injuries in a traumatic accident can also result in loss of enjoyment of life. This is another significant long-term cost that victims can seek to recover (or their family members can seek to recover on their behalf) in a personal injury case filed under Pennsylvania law.

Documentation Needed to Prove the Long-Term Costs of a Serious Accident in Pennsylvania

Seeking financial compensation for the long-term costs of a serious car accident requires documentation of these costs—whether they are financial or non-financial in nature. Documenting the long-term costs of a serious car accident is a time-intensive process that requires experienced legal representation. When you hire an experienced Doylestown accident lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will work to gather documentation including (but not limited to):

• Medical records
• Employment records
• Reports and testimony from medical and financial experts
• Budgets and other financial documentation
• Statements from friends and loved ones

Your lawyer will work closely with you as well. As a victim (or as the parent, spouse or other close family member of a victim), you know more about the consequences of the accident than anyone else. Your lawyer will help you tell your (or your loved one’s) story, and your lawyer will help make sure you are seeking just compensation under the circumstances at hand.

Talk to an Experienced Doylestown Accident Lawyer About Your Legal Rights for Free

If you need to know more about seeking just compensation for the long-term costs of a serious car accident in Pennsylvania, we encourage you to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation at Drake, Hileman & Davis, PC. To speak with an experienced Doylestown accident lawyer in confidence, please call 888-777-7098 or tell us how we can reach you online today.