What damages can you claim after a car accident?

A car accident can be a traumatic experience that can leave you with physical injuries, financial losses and emotional anguish. The good news is that you are entitled to compensation for these and other damages arising from the crash.

It helps to understand the range of damages you can recover after an accident in Kentucky to ensure you have the necessary information before filing your claim. Compensatory damages, meant to make you whole like before, are grouped into economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages

This class of damages includes all the direct financial losses caused by the crash. Economic damages include things like:

  • Property damage
  • Lost wages 
  • Present and future medical bills 
  • The cost of aftercare services and medical devices

The main aspect of economic damages is that they can be quantified since they result in direct monetary losses.

Non-economic damages

These damages do not result in financial loss. However, they may affect other areas of your life. The emotional anguish you endured from the accident, pain and suffering, disfigurement and a diminished quality of life are some of the non-economic damages you can claim.

Various approaches are used to assign a monetary figure to these damages when calculating compensation, depending on the circumstances of your claim. In some exceptional cases, the court may award you punitive damages to punish the negligent party or deter future occurrences.

Protect your rights after a car accident

The damages you claim after a car accident will determine the value of your claim and the eventual compensation. You cannot get compensated for damages you do not claim or those you cannot prove.

Therefore, getting the proper assistance immediately after your accident to assess your damages and guide you through the claims process is advisable.

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