Nebraska Auto Accident Recovery (7 Days After the Crash to the Resolution of Your Case): An Overview
“No matter what your current condition, how or where you grew up, or what education or training you feel you lack, you can be successful in your chosen endeavor. It is spirit, fortitude, and hardiness that matter more than where you start.” – Jack Ma
You want to resolve your case and move on with your life. To make it to the finish line, you’ll need to do some work. Let’s begin with a discussion on the types of damage you can potentially recover from an automobile accident.
- Property Damage
This includes damage to the vehicle itself as well as any damage to objects in the vehicle. For example, the impact smashed your smartphone, or the subsequent flames scorched your designer handbag. Less severe accidents may have limited property damage, although you should always take into account the diminished value of your car following the accident.
- Medical Expenses
When calculating your medical expenses, include the cost of emergency room visits, ambulance fees, doctors’ office visits and all medication taken after the crash, including over-the-counter medicines. Keep receipts. Medical expenses also include projected long-term care costs, such as continued physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and all related mental health treatment for the foreseeable future.
- Lost Wages
This figure includes missed workdays as well as additional compensation for things like special projects you abandoned due to your injury, loss of commissions and missed bonuses. For example, if you were scheduled to work overtime hours for time-and-a-half pay, your lost wages compensation should reflect this. You could also argue that your injury prevented you from taking advantage of career-enhancing opportunities, such as traveling to meet with new clients or obtaining a promotion.
- Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering is the legal classification of physical and emotional stress resulting from an injury. These damages include temporary and permanent limitations on physical activity, potential shortening of life, scarring, emotional trauma and effects on your personal life. The Nebraska Supreme Court gives the fact finder full discretion in quantifying pain and suffering. However, in Fickle v. State of Nebraska, the court reversed an award of $500,000 for non-economic damages after finding the figure inadequate as a matter of law.
- Loss of Consortium
This is a cause of action available to the family members of a person injured or killed due to the negligence or wrongful actions of another. In the state of Nebraska, damages for loss of consortium “represent compensation for a spouse who has been deprived of rights to which he or she is entitled because of the marriage relationship, namely, the other spouse’s affection, companionship, comfort, assistance, and particularly his or her conjugal society”(Carlson v. Okerstrom, 267 Neb. 397, 423, 675 N.W.2d 89, 111 (2004)).
For immediate insight into your Nebraska car accident, call Inkelaar Law to get the justice you deserve at (877) 537-4665, or visit www.JusticeYouDeserve.com.