Our Nashville Attorneys Clarify Medical Expenses That May Be Recovered in a Personal Injury Settlement
At GriffithLaw, we help people injured in accidents in Tennessee recover medical expenses and other damages. Our experienced personal injury lawyers are here to provide you with the legal support you need to help you secure the fair compensation you deserve.
If you’ve experienced a personal injury
as a result of an accident in Tennessee, you may be wondering what medical expenses you could potentially recover. Generally, medically necessary expenses incurred as a direct result of a personal injury accident may be claimed and included in a settlement.
Examples of medical services that are likely to be covered, as long as legitimate documentation is provided, include:
- Transportation by ambulance
- Emergency medical treatment
- Visits to your primary care doctor and specialists
- Hospital stays
- Diagnostic testing
- Surgical procedures
- Physical therapy
- Other rehabilitation therapies
- Assistive devices
- Home modifications required to make your home accessible
- Anticipated future medical expenses
A court will likely presume that past and future medical expenses are reasonable and fair, unless the defense can show that they are not directly related to the accident.
Other Damages You May Recover in a Settlement
In addition to direct medical expenses, you might also be able to recover compensation for other types of damages you experience as a result of a personal injury accident.
Lost Income
Lost income includes money you missed while you were recovering from the accident, either because you were unable to work or you were forced to work a lesser-paying position due to your injuries. It also includes future income you expect to lose because of the event.
Property Damage
The cost to repair or replace any property damaged in the incident is typically covered. In an automotive accident, this typically includes the vehicle you were driving.
Pain and Suffering
Physical pain and emotional suffering can be more challenging to quantify than the categories of damages listed above. Insurance companies, judges, and juries typically follow guidelines for pain and suffering damages to determine appropriate compensation.
Punitive Damages
Money awarded as punitive damages is meant to punish the defendant because they have acted in a manner that is malicious, fraudulent, or exceedingly reckless.
Why You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer
In Tennessee, it is legal to represent yourself in a personal injury case. However, effectively managing the many essential details of a personal injury case can be difficult for someone who doesn’t have legal expertise, especially while recovering from injuries. This is one reason why hiring a personal injury lawyer to represent you can be helpful.
For example, GriffithLaw regularly represents accident victims in Tennessee personal injury cases and provides essential services to help clients recover medical expenses and receive fair compensation following an accident. These services include:
- Gathering witness testimony
- Collecting evidence from the event
- Requesting police reports
- Sorting out jurisdiction
- Knowing applicable statutes, including the statute of limitations and caps on damages
- Following deadlines for submitting paperwork
- Utilizing expert testimony
- Identifying all appropriate defendants
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Representing clients in mediation and court proceedings
- Helping clients avoid accepting a settlement that is too low
- Answering your questions
When to Hire GriffithLaw
Evidence can be lost, witnesses can forget important details, and victims can make mistakes that damage their case immediately following an accident. Accordingly, the sooner you hire an attorney to represent you in your personal injury case, the better chance they have of being able to access everything they need to help you.
GriffithLaw is an award-winning Tennessee law firm with a team of experienced personal injury attorneys available to represent you. The firm’s founding attorney is a former insurance claims adjuster, a background that provides unique insight into the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying out money to accident victims and the expertise to fight back.