If you are injured, the state of Alabama has identified 6 specific areas where you can collect money. You need to pursue all of these to get the money you deserve.
Remember, you did not cause the accident and should not have to pay to get better.
Here are the Big 6.
1 – Medical Bills
Your current medical expenses are not strongly debatable. The bills are the bills. However, this category needs to include your future medical charges as well. In my legal experience, the insurance company, or whoever is going to pay, will most always underestimate these future expenses.
Also included are payments that many people overlook – for example, gas, parking, medical supplies, special food, and paid family help. These can run into thousands of dollars.
2 – Pain
The state of Alabama has no formula to evaluate what your pain is worth, so the fight with the payment provider can be intense. Also, you are entitled to compensation for future pain.
3 – Mental Anguish
Mental anguish is the stress, worry, sleepless nights, fear, and much more that you have gone through because of your injury. Like pain, the state has no formula.
4 – Lost Wages
If you cannot work, this is a loss caused by the accident, and you deserve that money back. This category also includes future salary and promotion losses.
5 – Disfigurement
If you have a change in your appearance, you deserve compensation for the disruption this can provide in your social and professional life. Some examples are a scar, a skin graph, discoloration, and the loss of a limb.
6 – Permanent Impairment
If your doctor determines your injury is permanent and will affect or limit your physical ability to lift, bend, walk or otherwise limit your activity, he/she may assign a disability rating or place permanent restrictions on your physical activities. These limitations may affect you at work as well as in your daily life (yard work, hobbies or even picking up your children) and the law requires the at fault party to pay for these damages.
IMPORTANT: When you get a check and sign a release, you are saying this matter is over. The chance of you getting any more money is gone forever.
Need more information? You can talk to us at Eiland & Ritchie for free.
Join us on NBC 15 LawCall here in Mobile every Sunday night at 10:30, right after the news. We are taking a fall break and will offer 5-minute segments for the rest of the year and a live call-in segment every Monday on NBC 15 at around lunchtime. You can also call the Eiland & Ritchie offices. We specifically set aside a few hours Monday morning to answer your questions.
Alabama Personal Injury Lawyer