After a motorcycle accident, the results can be chaotic for you and your family. There may be a lot of things that require your attention including physical injuries, lost income, mental and emotional trauma, and property damage. What you may not know in the days following the accident are the resources you can tap into to secure your financial future. With the assistance of skilled Lawbike Motorcycle Injury Lawyers, you can sue for damages. Often, the damages awarded can offset your medical expenses and other expenses. Also, financial damages can help you as you work through your pain and suffering after the accident. After sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash, an attorney can help get the compensation you are entitled to.
Identifying Damages in Motorcycle Accident Cases
Damages refer to the sum of money a negligent party owes to you for breaching their duty of care and violating your rights. Every driver in Savannah has a duty to those who they share the road with. Drivers, no matter the kind of vehicle they drive at the time, should focus on the road and obey road rules. This is necessary to maintain the safety of all road users.
If the driver gets behind the wheel and acts negligently like falling asleep while driving or being distracted by their phone, they breach their duty of care. If such a breach results in a motorcycle crash, the negligent motorist can be sued for damages.
Kinds of Damages You Can Collect
The damages in motorcycle accident cases are categorized into the following:
- Economic damages. These objective damages are meant to compensate you for physical financial losses. The main kinds of economic damages that can be recovered include the following:
- Medical expenses. A motorcycle accident claim can cover your current and future medical bills related to the crash. Medical expenses can include ambulance rides, prescriptions, surgery, hospital stays, rehabilitation, and X-rays. Also, your claim can cover long-term medical such as physical therapy, ongoing treatment, home assistance, and future surgeries.
- Lost wages. Depending on how serious your injuries are, you may not be able to work temporarily or permanently because of the accident. If your injuries are serious enough to prevent you from working, you may recover damages to compensate you for wages you lost.
- Permanent disability. Catastrophic injuries may leave you permanently disabled, which prevents you from working again or holding the same job before the crash. If you have reduced earning capacity due to the crash, your attorney will negotiate for full compensation to guarantee your financial security.
- Property damage. The cost of motorcycle repair or replacement following the crash can be quite costly. Your attorney will help you secure sufficient damages to repair or replace the damaged motorcycle.
- Non-economic damages. This type of damage does not have a physical receipt that demonstrates your suffering. But your suffering remains significant. Your attorney will ensure you get compensated for these damages in your claim. Such damages are the physical pain and emotional suffering you go through due to the motorcycle accident. This also includes inconvenience, mental anguish, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Other kinds include loss of life enjoyment, nightmares and flashbacks, sleep disorders, loss of quality of life, depression and anxiety, and chronic pain.
- Punitive damages. These damages are awarded to punish the defendant for their negligent behavior. To collect such damages, your attorney must prove the other driver acted with disregard for other people’s safety. Your attorney can argue that the negligent motorist acted negligently on a busy road and put other people’s lives in danger. Awarding punitive damages can prevent the negligent driver from behaving that way again in the future.