Post Accident Medical Bills and Future Care Expenses: How Lawyers Point Out What Victims Overlook?
Car crashes in San Diego aren’t uncommon, especially when the city has its busy highways like SR-52 and streets. The California Highway Patrol states that more than 14,000 crashes take place in this city in San Diego, leaving several victims with massive injuries that need end-to-end care.
Typically, victims of a car crash focus on medical expenses right after a crash. However, what goes unnoticed are the future medical costs and long-term expenses of therapy, lifestyle adjustments, surgeries, and rehabilitation. Here, an expert car accident lawyer can be of immense help as they can help the victims recover the entire damage that occurred, not just the ones that are visible damage.
The hidden aspect of medical expenses
After a crash, a victim might usually receive the expenses associated with a hospital bill, ambulance bill, or emergency room costs. However, what most victims do not perceive is that the financial impact of their injury goes beyond those first costs. For instance, when someone suffers spinal injury, a traumatic brain injury (TBI), or will deal with chronic pain conditions, the continuing costs of treatment can extend into months or years.
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), the average economic cost of a disabling car accident injury in the United States is over $155,000. Often, this number does not consider non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering. When future care is not included or accounted for in a settlement, the victim may later find themselves struggling to pay for a follow-up procedure. Other payment avenues include long-term prescription pills and/or mobility aides after their insurance money has run out. The leading car accident lawyers in San Diego can help here with their expert strategies.
How do lawyers establish the real value of care?
An expert car crash lawyer in the city knows that medical recovery doesn’t end the moment your bandages are removed. Hence, they connect with life care planners, medical experts, and financial analysts to estimate the long-term effects of the injuries correctly. The process they follow includes:
- Establishing medical treatment for the long run
Lawyers connect with treating doctors and medical specialists to determine future care. This may include a physical therapist, reconstructive surgery, and/or adaptive medical devices.
- Resorting to life care plans
A life care plan is a compact document prepared by medical professionals to assess the costs of future ongoing medical needs and support for the rest of the victim’s life. Life care plans are crucial for accurately assessing damages for long-term future needs.
- Estimating lost earning opportunity
If the injuries prevent the victim from returning to work or limit the professional ability of the victim, lawyers also account for future income loss as part of the recovery case.
Finally, insurance agencies make use of algorithms that underestimate the claims and focus on the short-term medical expenses. The lawyers effectively contest these tactics with established proofs and testimony to ensure that the verdict is fair. They also ensure that the victim receives their legal compensation. To know more about the workings of a car accident lawyer, you can check out hhjtrialattorneys.com.
Summing it up
Finally, in the absence of legal assistance, numerous victims negligently agree to settlements that provide only a portion of their true medical and financial losses. Once signed, it becomes impossible to reopen the matter, even if there are subsequent complications. By hiring a car accident lawyer at the earliest, victims can ensure future expense are considered and everything is properly documented.
