When you are hurt because of another person, you may be able to receive compensation for your losses. While you will have to establish the extent of your injuries and that your injuries were caused by a liable person, you will also need to show what your losses are. Your financial award in a personal injury lawsuit looks at your lost wages, medical bills, costs associated with fixing your car if it's a car accident case, and money for losses that are more difficult to measure. While you will start with pecuniary losses that are measurable and easy to prove, the real money in a personal injury lawsuit comes from the non-pecuniary losses, or those that are hard to calculate.
Using the Losses You Can Quantify Easily
To prove your pecuniary losses in a personal injury lawsuit, you will simply need to gather together all of your relevant bills and pay stubs. If you have been out of work, you will want to show pay stubs from the past three months in order to get a weekly average of how much money you were making. Any medical bills, property repair, or other expenses will be added together and be the first part of your compensation if you win your lawsuit.
Proving Your Subjective Losses
The problem with non-pecuniary losses is that they are often subjective. This is where compensation for pain and suffering comes in. Pain is different from person to person, but in general, the more severe your injuries are, the higher your compensation will be. If you have become permanently disabled because of the accident, this will provide you with more money than if you went back to work within a few weeks. Proving the extent of your injuries, including pain and suffering, takes some effort.
Working with Your Treatment Team
To finalize your case, you may need to be at a medical end to treatment. When you work closely with your treatment providers, they are better able to determine if you are at a medical end to treatment. This means that you have made as much progress as you can, and you are unlikely to improve from your injuries further. Your treatment team are the providers that are going to provide medical evidence regarding your pain, suffering, and future loss of function, so you need to be honest and listen to all treatment advice.
When you have been injured, you must seek treatment regularly in an effort to get better. For more information, contact local professionals like The Kirbo Law Firm.
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