The Needs To Consider For Your Car Accident Recovery Process
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
For those who have never been in a car accident in the state of Florida, the recovery process may be something of a mystery. However, once that first accident occurs, this mystery becomes a very daunting reality that one must deal with if they wish to move on from the experience. After the accident has been called in, the car is fixed or replaced, and you’ve been discharged from a hospital, that doesn’t mean your recovery process is really over.In some instances, when you factor in the long term recovery after a car accident in Florida, your expenses can be greater than what your personal injury protection policy will compensate. Typically, your PIP policy will cover up to 80% of your medical costs and 60% of your lost wages, stopping at the cap amount noted on your policy. If 80% of your medical costs and 60% of your lost wages exceeds this amount, you may be able to seek a personal injury lawsuit to cover the rest of your accident was caused by another driver’s negligence.
Often Forgotten Accident Recovery Expenses
While the cost of a damaged vehicle and initial medical costs are almost always factored in to the cost of your accident straight away, there are more expenses involved in many cases. Some often forgotten accident recovery expenses that you may seek compensation for include:
• Long-term therapy – For more serious car accident injuries, long-term therapy may be required for complete recovery. This could mean physical therapy or therapy for mental or emotional health if the accident caused any lasting emotional trauma. Therapy may last for a period of weeks, months, or years depending on your particular accident situation. Therapy sessions, either physical or emotional, are costly and these costs can really add up when serious need is present.
• Lost work wages – Lost work wages are often looked over, which surprises many when one considers just how important a paycheck is to the average Florida resident. While initial lost work wages are considered, what about those lost work days down the road when one needs to go for a surgery to fix an injury, attend therapy, or aggravates an injury throughout everyday life. Lost work wages shouldn’t only include immediate lost work, but all work lost throughout your recovery process.
• Help at home – Help at home is a damage that is all too often overlooked. In some instances, a person’s injury may limit their ability to clean their home, look after their children, prepare meals, or get around in an everyday fashion. When this occurs, these individuals may require the assistance of professionals to take care of these chores until they’re able to do so once again.
• Inability to go back to your occupation – In the case of more serious accident injuries, a person may never be able to go back to their former occupation. For instance, if a nail technician breaks their wrist in a car accident, and that break has caused nerve damage that makes their precise work impossible, they’ll need to suddenly seek a new career path. If your accident has caused you to lose your ability to do the job you had before your accident, this should be factored into your compensation.
Making All The Right Considerations
While the average Florida resident may not know all they should consider in their recovery process, a skilled personal injury attorney does. With the help of a personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg, you can rest assured that your desired settlement amount has been well thought out, and includes all of your damages now and throughout your recovery. If you’ve been in an accident in the St. Petersburg area, and you’re looking for guidance in your personal injury case, call us at The St. Pete Lawyer to see how we can help today.