It is a fact of life that people sustain injuries on a daily basis often due to the negligence of others. All too often these accidents result in serious personal injuries that can forever change the victim’s life. If a person is injured due to the negligence of another person. The injured party has the right to seek monetary compensation for his or her damages.
In New York, personal injury accident victims may seek various forms of compensation:
Pain and Suffering: The most obvious and common form of compensation that an accident victim is entitled to seek is monetary compensation for the pain and suffering that he or she endures as a result of injuries. The amount of pain and suffering compensation will be based on several factors including the nature of the injury; the impact on the victim’s health and well-being; the victim’s age and health prior to the accident; the extent of the required medical treatment that the victim undergoes; whether the injury is temporary in nature or can expected to be permanent; whether the injury will cause some loss of enjoyment of life and pleasure; and other factors.
Medical Bills: Healthcare costs today are astronomically expensive. A person who sustains injuries in an accident can easily find themselves faced with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills with no way to pay them. The law allows accident victims to seek compensation for medical bills sustained in an accident. Most auto accidents in New York are subject to no-fault law and the host vehicle’s auto insurance will cover medical bills through the no-fault endorsement of the policy. The minimum required no-fault coverage in the State of New York is $50,000.00. Non-vehicular accidents are not subject to no-fault law, however, most premises are insured and some have ‘medical payment coverage’ which is immediately available to cover the medical bills.
Lost Wages: An accident victim who sustains serious injuries may be required to be out of work for days, weeks, months or even years. In serious cases, a victim may be permanently disabled and never able to return to work again. The result of losing one’s income whether on a temporary or on a permanent basis can be devastating to one’s life. Accident victims can seek recovery for provable lost wages resulting from being unable to work following an accident.
Property Damage: An accident victim is entitled to seek compensation for the reasonable cost of repairs or replacement of property that has been damaged as a result of someone else’s negligence. The most common cases involve expenses related to the repairs of damaged vehicles. Other associated expenses can include, towing fees, storage fees and rental vehicle fees.
