If you or somebody you care about has been injured in a car accident caused by the careless or negligent actions of another driver in Arizona, you may be entitled to various types of compensation for your losses. However, securing this compensation can be difficult. Here, we want to discuss the various types of compensation available to car accident victims as well as whether or not you may need a Phoenix car accident lawyer to help with a personal injury lawsuit after your crash.
Types of Damages Recoverable After an Arizona Car Accident
There are various types of compensation available in the aftermath of a car accident. Typically, we can classify these damages as “economic” and “non-economic.”
ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Economic damages refers to the types of compensation that are fairly easy to calculate by using bills and receipts following the car accident. Some of the most common types of economic damages include:
- Any medical bills the victim sustains
- Costs of physical therapy or rehabilitation
- Coverage for any medical devices or prescription medications needed
- Lost wages if a victim is unable to work while they recover
- Any household out-of-pocket expenses that a victim incurs
NON-ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Non-economic damages refers to the types of compensation that are going to be a bit harder to calculate than economic damages. Unfortunately, there are no bills or receipts available to help calculate the following:
- The physical pain and suffering a victim endures
- The emotional and psychological pain and suffering a victim endures
- Loss of enjoyment of life damages
- Scarring and disfigurement damages
- Loss of consortium for a spouse
Because there are no direct receipts or bills that can help calculate these expenses, attorneys in these cases will typically use a “multiplier method.” This means that an attorney will calculate a victim’s total economic losses and multiply them by a set number (usually 1.5 to 5).
For example, if a victim sustains $100,000 in economic damages following a motorcycle collision, the attorney may use a multiplier of three to arrive at a request of $300,000 in non-economic damages, bringing the total requested damages to $400,000.
PUNITIVE DAMAGES
In some cases, a jury may choose to award punitive damages in the aftermath serious accident. However, this type of damage award is typically reserved for when the alleged negligent party is guilty of gross negligence or intentionally caused harm to the victim. These damages are meant to punish the wrongdoer and send the signal to others this type of behavior will not be tolerated.
Will You Need an Attorney for Your Case?
According to data available from the Arizona Department of Transportation, there were nearly 130,000 total vehicle crashes reported across the state during the latest year. Out of these incidents, 982 people lost their lives and more than 53,000 people were injured.
If you or somebody you care about has been injured in an accident caused by the actions of another driver, you need to seek assistance from a skilled Phoenix personal injury lawyer to help with your case. An attorney will be able to help regardless of whether or not your case is going to be resolved through an insurance settlement or through a personal injury lawsuit.
