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Suffering serious injuries in an accident can impact all aspects of your life. Even if your doctor says you will be able to make a full recovery, getting through the recovery process can be difficult, painful, and expensive. If you suffer a permanent accident-related injury, the associated costs will continue to accrue for years or decades to come. As a result, it is important to claim your legal rights, and this requires a clear understanding of the financial and non-financial costs you are likely to incur.

Accident-related injuries can lead to several types of financial and non-financial costs. In most cases, accident victims can seek to recover all of these costs by filing insurance claims. But, when you file an insurance claim, you cannot expect the insurance company to calculate your costs for you. Instead, you must go into your claim knowing how much you are entitled to recover, and you must be prepared to work alongside your attorney to fight for the financial compensation you deserve.

Financial Costs of Accident-Related Injuries

Let’s talk about the financial costs first. These are the easiest costs to conceptualize, and they are also the easiest costs to calculate, relatively speaking. The financial costs of accident-related injuries can be broken down into four main categories:

1. Medical Bills

The costs of diagnosing and treating accident-related injuries can range from a few thousand dollars to well in excess of a million dollars over the course of an accident victim’s lifetime. It is no secret that medical care in the United States is getting more expensive, and even visits to the doctor’s office for routine procedures can put many people into debt.

When dealing with accident-related injuries, accident victims will often continue to incur medical bills for months or years. Over time, the total costs of treatment can become staggering. This includes diagnostic and treatment costs such as:

• X-Rays, MRIs, and CT scans
• Blood work
• Life support
• Medical monitoring, IVs, and other in-patient services
• Surgery (and often multiple surgical procedures)
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Psychological or psychiatric therapy

2. Prescriptions and Medical Supplies

Accident victims can also incur significant lifetime costs for prescriptions and medical supplies. This includes everything from anti-inflammatories and antibacterial medications to bandages, crutches, and wheelchairs. Many accident victims will receive prescriptions for pain medications as well, and some accident victims will also find themselves in need of prescriptions for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.

3. Other Out-of-Pocket Costs

Along with medical costs, accident victims may incur a variety of other out-of-pocket costs as well. For example, many car accident victims will incur transportation costs while waiting for their vehicle to get repaired or while waiting to receive an insurance check so they can replace their totaled car, truck, or SUV. In many cases, victims of other types of accidents will incur transportation costs as well since their injuries will prevent them from driving.

But, oftentimes, transportation costs are just the tip of the iceberg. Many accident victims will also incur out-of-pocket costs for things like:

• In-home care services
• Home cleaning and landscaping services
• Home or vehicle modifications

4. Loss of Income and Benefits

Another common financial cost of accident-related injuries is loss of income and benefits. Some accident victims will be unable to work while undergoing treatment, while others will be unable to work for the rest of their lives. When accident victims are entitled to financial compensation, they can seek damages for all forms of lost income and benefits, including (but not limited to) salary, wages, commissions, tips, health insurance coverage, and matching retirement account contributions.

Non-Financial Costs of Accident-Related Injuries

Florida law also entitles accident victims to recover financial compensation for their non-financial costs in many cases. These are costs that do not impact accident victims’ bank balances but rather impact their lives in various other ways. For example, common non-financial costs associated with accident-related injuries include:

• Pain and Suffering – “Pain and suffering” refers to the physical and psychological impacts of living daily life with a traumatic injury.
• Scarring and Disfigurement – Accident victims may experience scarring and disfigurement as a result of their injuries (i.e., in the case of a severe laceration or burn), or as a result of undergoing surgery.
• Loss of Companionship and Consortium – Living with the physical and psychological impacts of a traumatic injury can impair accident victims’ relationships with their friends, spouses, children, and other family members.
• Loss of Services and Support – In many cases, accident victims’ injuries will prevent them from doing the things they used to do and providing the support they used to provide on a long-term (or permanent) basis.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life – Whether due to the physical effects, psychological effects, or both, many accident victims will experience a significant loss of enjoyment of life as a result of their trauma.

Recovering the Financial and Non-Financial Costs of a Serious Accident in Florida

All of these are costs that accident victims can potentially recover under Florida law. Accident victims can work with their doctors and lawyers to assess their long-term medical needs and calculate proper compensation for their current and future losses. While every case is unique, many accident victims will be entitled to significant financial compensation. The keys to filing a successful claim are to have as much documentation as possible, work closely with your lawyer to calculate your losses, and be patient while your attorney fights to secure a fair settlement or verdict.

For victims of all types of serious accidents, recovering full compensation is an important step in the recovery process. If you think you may have a claim (or don’t know and would like to find out), you should speak with a skilled personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Talk to Personal Injury Attorney Randall L. Spivey at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. About Your Legal Rights

Are you entitled to compensation for the financial and non-financial costs of your accident-related injuries? To find out, contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. for a free, no-obligation consultation. You can get in touch 24/7, so call 888-477-4839 or contact us online to speak with personal injury attorney Randall L. Spivey as soon as possible.