Long-Term Costs to Consider When Pursuing a Personal Injury Case

When pursuing a personal injury case, it’s important to think seriously about what you consider to be a fair settlement amount for your injuries. Typically, most people look at how much the injury has cost them in terms of medical bills, property damage, and perhaps pain and suffering. However, it’s important to bear in mind that your injury can have long-term consequences that you haven’t yet thought about. Be sure to consider the following costs when determining a fair settlement amount for your case.

Physical Therapy Costs

Very often, serious injuries require extensive physical therapy to fully recover. You might be seeing a physical therapist for months, or even years to help you recover from your injuries, and oftentimes, those costs are not covered (or at least not fully covered) by insurance. If you haven’t yet started physical therapy for the injury in question, talk to your doctor regarding what they believe to be the likely timeline for your recovery. You can then get an idea of how much you’ll pay in physically therapy bills over the course of your recovery, and factor this amount into your desired settlement amount.

Loss of Income

This is a cost you should consider in both the short-term and the long-term. If you’re currently pursuing a personal injury lawsuit, you’ve probably already missed some work due to your injury. However, you may miss even more days of work throughout the course of your recovery, or even be unable to return to your old job, if the injury is one that causes a permanent disability. In cases where the victim misses a great deal of work, the loss of income can cause serious financial strain. You should consider the long-term loss of income, as well as the income you’ve already lost, before agreeing to any settlement offer you may receive.

Pain and Suffering

Though far more difficult to measure for personal injury cases, pain and suffering is something you should keep in mind when calculating how much you’re willing to accept to settle your lawsuit. While you might have considered the immediate pain and suffering of your injury up to this point, it’s also important to think about how that pain will impact you in the long term. The fact of the matter is that pain doesn’t just go away overnight.

With severe injuries, you may have flare-ups of pain for months or years, and in some cases, for the rest of your lifetime. While sobering to consider this possibility, it is something you should discuss with your doctor to determine whether or not pain is something you’re going to have to live with for an extended period of time. If it is, the amount you request for your pain and suffering should be higher than if the pain is likely to subside within a few weeks.

Medications and Medical Equipment

Oftentimes, serious injuries require medications and even medical equipment to help with recovery and pain management. You may be taking several prescriptions, or require devices like a walking boot, crutches, neck brace, wheelchair, and other devices as a result of your injury. In your personal injury case, you have every right to request that the responsible party compensate you for the costs of the equipment and medications you need.

Permanent Home Modifications

While this isn’t a consideration for every personal injury case, those injuries that cause permanent disabilities may need to permanently modify their home to accommodate their disability. For example, a spinal injury may mean that you need to install a stairlift to move between the floors of your home safely. Or, if your injury now request you to use a wheelchair, you may need to install a ramp to get into and out of your home. In these cases, your personal injury settlement should factor in the costs of these home modifications.

Contact Us for Personal Injury Representation

If you’ve been injured due to the actions or negligence of another person or party, we encourage you to reach out to The Harr Law Firm today and speak to one of our experienced personal injury attorneys. We can provide you with guidance and advice on calculating a fair settlement amount for your case. If the responsible party or their insurance refuses to pay you a fair amount, we’ll represent you in court to ensure that your rights are protected and you receive just compensation for your injuries. Call now to schedule an initial consultation on your personal injury case.