If you’ve been involved in a motorcycle accident in Staten Island, you may be struggling physically, emotionally and financially. To help you get back on your feet after such a difficult time, you may want to file a lawsuit against the driver responsible for your accident. If your suit is successful, you can recover compensation to help you pay for some of your crash-related expenses.
Physical injury often results in recovery of medical expenses. Damages may cover medical bills, emergency room treatment, ambulance fees and rehabilitation services. The plaintiff will need to prove that the medical expenses are related to the accident in question. Future medical expenses can also be covered if continued medical care is needed as a result of the accident.
Damages can also cover the loss of normalcy in a person’s life. For example, an injured motorcyclist may not be able to clean the house and care for themselves like they did before the accident. Damages can cover household services for the accident victim so that they can hire someone to care for the home while they recover from their injuries.
Lost wages and lost earning capacity are also covered by accident damages if the plaintiff is unable to work after the accident. Lost wages cover the amount of money the plaintiff would have earned from the time of the accident to the date of judgment. Lost earning capacity is based on what the plaintiff likely would have been able to earn in the future if he had not been injured. Past earnings, age, occupation, life expectancy and numerous other factors will be considered when determining how much compensation to award.
Courts may also award damages for pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of companionship and loss of consortium, or the loss of the benefits of married life. While there is no set monetary value of these things, a jury will work to assign a value after looking at the facts of the case.
If you have a worthwhile case after a motorcycle accident, you could recover all of the above damages and more.
Source: FindLaw, “Economic Recovery for Accidents and Injuries,” accessed on July 25, 2016
