Suffering an accident and injury in Washington may have left you in the hospital and wondering how your medical bills will get paid. Whether you’ve been hurt in an interstate collision, a workplace mishap or a dangerous slip-and-fall, you shouldn’t have to fund your own recovery. However, a traumatic accident and difficult injury recovery can leave you with little strength or resolve to fight an insurance company to get support.

Unfortunately, seeking compensatory damages after an injury is often a victim’s only way to avoid financial worries as they recover. You never have to worry about facing this fight alone. Hagens Berman’s personal injury lawyers handle injury claims for victims and their families. Our Seattle firm has the legal expertise to tackle even the most demanding cases.

Hagens Berman also understands that litigation can be trying, especially after a painful accident. We make it a priority to simplify and expedite the process to allow you to focus on healing and restoring your life back to normal, and recovering compensatory damages after your injury.

COMPENSATORY DAMAGES IN WASHINGTON

Compensatory damages are the financial support paid to accident victims by an at-fault individual or party. They are meant to compensate the victim for monetary damages, like medical bills and lost wages caused by an accident. Compensatory damages provide help to victims when paying for physical, emotional and financial hardships while they recover.

Compensatory damages are sought when a negligent act on the part of a person, business or other entity contributed to harm of the victim. The compensation is most often provided by the insurance provider for the responsible party.

However, insurance companies regularly try to devalue an injury victim’s compensation claim by denying payment for compensatory damages. When this happens, victims need to fight for every bit of compensation available to them after an injury. This is the only way for them to avoid having to pay out-of-pocket for their own care and medical bills.

TYPES OF COMPENSATORY DAMAGES INVOLVED IN WASHINGTON ACCIDENTS

It’s not hard to add up hospital and doctor bills, ambulance fees and rehabilitation costs. Victims can show invoices for these damages when demanding compensation from an insurance company and filing for compensatory damages after an accident.

It’s harder to quantify the pain a patient has endured, and the emotional trauma faced by victims and their families. Compensatory damages seek to replace financial and physical losses, and also to leave the victim in a healthy mental state despite everything they have survived.

When personal injury lawyers and insurance adjusters try to reach a settlement figure that’s fair to both parties, they must look at two types of damages: economic and non-economic.

Economic damages, also known as actual damages, cover the monetary costs and losses a victim suffers after an accident:

  • Medical Expenses – This total includes the hospital bills accrued to this point, but in some cases must factor in much more. When a victim has a severe injury or suffers a permanent disability, the cost of care in the years to come is estimated and submitted to the insurance company.
  • Medical Travel Costs – This portion includes costs for drivers and gas to the many medical care visits you may require. This also compensates for trips to see out-of-city or out-of-state specialists and overnight stays.
  • Lost Income – Victims may lose valuable paychecks while they heal. Those wages should be reimbursed in full by the at-fault party.
  • Lost Earning Capacity – When major injury keeps a patient out of work for months or years, in extreme cases, patients are unable to perform their previous jobs. In either case, whether permanent or not, lost wages may be accounted for. It must be determined if the victim is able to embark on a new career. The costs of job training and college courses may be included in the victim’s insurance claim or lawsuit.
  • Monthly Bills – Recovery injury victims may fall behind on rent, car payments, power bills and other normal expenses if left unable to earn a steady income. Support should be included for bill payment and repayment of any late fees and credit damage endured.
  • Property Damage – If you were in a vehicle or on a bike during your accident, the costs of repair or replacement are the insurance company’s responsibility. If your house or personal property is damaged during an accident, the cost of repair needs to be included in any personal injury settlement or judgment.

Non-economic damages entail physical anguish and emotional pain experienced due to an accident. It’s much more difficult to place a dollar amount on these damages, but medical and mental health experts can testify to their toll on patients, and a skilled personal injury lawyer can help ensure you are compensated fairly.

  • Physical Trauma – Exposure to extreme pain can earn further compensation for victims.  The possibility of pain persisting for years or over a lifetime would greatly increase a settlement amount in your personal injury case. The cost of expensive prescription drugs to cope with pain should never be the victim’s responsibility.
  • Emotional Trauma – Depression and anxiety often target the victims of a devastating accident. The anguish involved and the toll these factors take on families and individuals must factor into an insurance claim. The costs of psychological counseling should never be left in the victim’s lap.
  • Loss of Enjoyment of Life – Victims should earn compensation when injuries rob them of the activities and hobbies they once enjoyed and were physically able to take part in. Their injuries may take them off a motorcycle or a bicycle or keep them from exercising. They could miss out on travel and time with family and friends.
  • Loss of Consortium – These damages involve compensation paid to the spouse of an accident victim for the loss of intimacy and close connection. Injuries could make the previous level of intimacy shared between partners impossible. These claims may also fall between parents and children who have lost either their parental care, or their children.

CONTACT A PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER SERVING WASHINGTON ACCIDENT VICTIMS

If you’ve been seriously hurt in any sort of accident due to the negligence of an individual, proprietor, municipality, business or corporation, please consult Hagens Berman before speaking to any insurance representative.

Insurance companies aren’t legally obligated to tell you about every benefit and right you have as a victim in the state of Washington. Hagens Berman ensures you are informed of every option available to you and that every question and concern you have is answered.

Every successful verdict and settlement Hagens Berman achieves can be traced back to experience. Our personal injury lawyers have decades of experience litigating accident claims, and that experience allows them to deliver quick and favorable outcomes with the least disruption to the lives of the victim and their family members.