Types of Compensation in Motorcycle Accident Claims
Riding a motorcycle offers exhilaration and excitement. While it is a phenomenal way to explore Akron, it’s common for careless motorists on the roadway to overlook motorcyclists and cause devastating accidents. These collisions often lead to financial strain and hardship for years afterward.
If a careless driver causes catastrophic injuries, you may be entitled to seek meaningful compensation for your injuries. However, getting the money you need following an Akron motorcycle accident can be challenging. Where do you start, and how do you know what compensation you can pursue?
At Amourgis & Associates, our dedicated motorcycle accident attorneys can thoroughly review your case and help you understand what types of compensation you can pursue for your financial losses. Call our Akron motorcycle accident lawyer today or contact us online for a free case evaluation.
Compensation for Medical Bills
Unfortunately, motorcycle accident victims can sustain severe injuries such as traumatic head injuries, amputations, road rash, and internal bleeding. These injuries can be costly to treat and require intense medical intervention and rehabilitation. Hospitalizations, surgeries, prescriptions, physical therapy, and rehabilitation expenses can quickly add up to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Paying for treatment can leave an accident victim in a financially vulnerable position. However, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses following a motorcycle accident caused by someone else. Before you accept a settlement from an insurer, discuss your case with an experienced Akron motorcycle accident compensation attorney. You may be entitled to money for your current and future medical expenses. A quick settlement offer often does not factor in your long-term medical needs.
Compensation for Lost Wages
Catastrophic injuries often require you to take time away from work to recover. However, when you don’t work, you don’t get paid, which can increase the fear of falling into financial instability. After a motorcycle accident, you may also seek compensation for your lost wages from the at-fault party.
Lost wages can include vacation time, sick time, and potentially missed commissions and bonuses. You may also seek money for your lost earning capacity if your motorcycle accident injuries cause long-term disabilities that prevent you from returning to work in the same capacity as before the crash.
An attorney can help you calculate the value of your lost wages by reviewing your pay stubs, tax forms, 401(k) statements, and other financial documents.
Compensation for Pain and Suffering
Emotional injuries can also leave scars. Emotional anguish, stress, and depression are all common emotions individuals may experience following a traumatic motorcycle accident. These feelings can disrupt a person’s daily tasks and impact their overall quality of life.
“Pain and suffering” is a phrase that is used extensively in accident cases. However, not everyone understands what “pain and suffering” means in a personal injury case. Pain and suffering is the physical and emotional strain caused by injuries associated with an accident. Proving that an individual deserves compensation for their pain and suffering can be challenging because these types of losses are subjective and abstract. How do you quantify the physical pain and emotional distress that a life-changing accident has on a person’s well-being?
A skilled Akron motorcycle accident attorney typically proves pain and suffering through supporting evidence such as medical documentation, reports from mental health experts, and the testimony of friends and family close to the injured rider. This evidence helps support a motorcycle compensation claim by establishing the physical and mental impact of the victim’s injuries on their quality of life.
Compensation for Personal Property Damage or Loss
One of the most apparent forms of motorcycle accident compensation is property damage compensation. A passenger vehicle weighing over 3,000 pounds can do enormous damage to a motorcycle upon impact. Most riders can pursue an at-fault driver for the cost of repairs to their damaged property. You may also seek compensation for damaged equipment and safety gear, like your helmet.
If your motorcycle is a complete loss, you could be entitled to seek reasonable compensation for replacing your vehicle. In most situations, you can expect to receive the fair market value of your motorcycle, which is the amount you’d typically pay to replace your motorcycle with one in a similar condition.
Compensation for Non-Economic Damages
An injured individual can seek compensation for their economic and non-economic losses. Economic damages compensate an individual for their tangible financial losses. These losses include medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage. Economic damages are generally easy to calculate.
Non-economic damages are different. These damages compensate accident victims for their intangible losses or quality of life changes. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of consortium, and disfigurement are typical examples of the types of non-economic damages that victims pursue in motorcycle accident claims.
Unfortunately, calculating the value of non-economic losses can be challenging. It is relatively easy to tabulate medical expenses. However, how do you assess the value of a person’s mental health? How do you put a dollar amount on a debilitating disability?
While there are techniques to help calculate the value of non-economic damages, it is best to consult an experienced Akron motorcycle accident attorney for help. An attorney can review the evidence in your case, establish the value of your non-economic losses, and fight for the money you deserve to compensate you for them.
Contact Our Akron Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Did another driver cause your motorcycle accident with their wrongdoing or carelessness? If so, you need a skilled Akron motorcycle accident attorney to help you with your motorcycle accident compensation claim. At Amourgis & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our passionate legal team can pursue compensation on your behalf. We understand how motorcycle accidents can lead to significant financial hardships. Our motorcycle accident compensation team wants to help you overcome the challenges of getting the money you deserve for your financial losses.
Contact our Akron personal injury lawyer today to discuss your case for free.
