If you have been injured in a car wreck, your natural inclination may be to call a car accident lawyer in Las Vegas. This is certainly a good place to start because it will ensure that you are treated fairly by the insurance company. One of the first questions that people tend to ask me during a consultation is how much money their claim might be worth or what they could get in a lawsuit. The answer to that is highly specific so it is best to discuss how that number tends to be calculated.
Your Doctor Plays an Important Role
Immediately following an accident, you should visit a doctor and remain in their constant care. If you are supposed to go for physical therapy, do it. If you are supposed to have a procedure completed, schedule it. You need to follow your doctors’ orders so that you can get healthy and build up a case for why you need compensation. If you are injured but do not see a doctor, your injuries will appear to be mild or made up altogether. By receiving the care you need, you are documenting that there is something wrong, how it impacts you, and what the costs will be to fully recover from it. Without a medical file, you only really have a property damage claim.
How a Car Accidents Lawyer in Las Vegas Calculates Damages
The first step is to look at the damage done to your property. This is the easy part because an appraisal or quote from an auto body shop will make it clear as to how much damage you incurred. You will also need to submit receipts from expenses like a car rental, etc. Next, it will be time to review your medical bills to date. Your doctor will play a critical role in determining what your future medical bills may be as well. For example, do they think that you will need care for the next two months or the next twenty years? Your final settlement amount should include an allowance for these future expenses. The last major component of your claim is lost wages. If you were unable to work or had to work less due to your accident, you could be entitled to recouping those wages along with any future wage loss due to your injuries. In some cases, a calculation is also made for pain and suffering but this is harder to prove.
How Negligence Influences the Value of Your Claim
Determining negligence is an important part of the process because negligence is the legal way of saying who was at fault or who was to blame for the crash. In Nevada, both parties can be found to be partially negligent. The portion of negligence that you have will reduce any financial award you receive. For example, if the judge rules that the value of your case is $20,000 and you are found to be fifteen percent negligent, you would only receive $17,000. Determining and proving negligence is one of the most important things that a car accidents lawyer in Las Vegas can do for you.
Do You Want to Know What Your Claim Was Worth?
If you were in an accident and want to know if you should get money for it, the best thing to do is contact a lawyer. In the meantime, share this blog with any of your friends that want to know how to calculate damages in their case.
