A car crash can cost a lot—your physical abilities, your emotional health, your life savings, your job, your house. Medical bills alone can send a family into bankruptcy or foreclosure if the injuries you or your loved one sustained are severe. Even those with good medical insurance are not safe from the financial damages of a motor vehicle collision that takes away their ability to work due to a spinal injury or traumatic brain injury. Collisions cost a lot, but what are you likely to get in a settlement or lawsuit if the other party caused the wreck? The answer to that question depends on a variety of factors.
What Were Your Injuries?
Your injuries dictate what your case is worth. The more severe your injuries, the higher your medical bills will be. To be sure, broken bones and lacerations may lead to tens of thousands of dollars in compensation, while an injury that led to paralysis may be worth well over a million, base on the long-term impacts it will have on your life. This is why it is important to have an attorney examine your case carefully to determine how much it is worth.
Your Other Damages
- Property damage;
- Time going to and from doctor appointments;
- Money spent on childcare or housekeeping due to your injuries;
- Lost wages; and
- Lost earning capacity.
The Value of Your Case May Not Mean Anything if the Other Party Does Not Have Adequate Insurance
Your injuries may be substantial, the pain and suffering that you have undergone may be tremendous, and you may never be able to earn what you were earning before the crash. But, when it comes to compensation, none of that means anything if the other party was uninsured or underinsured. In the state of Missouri, all it takes to legally drive is a policy of $25,000 bodily injury per person and $50,000 per crash, and $10,000 in property damage, according to the Missouri Department of Insurance. $25,000 in bodily injury compensation does not go very far for those who are seriously injured or crippled in a collision. Moreover, 14 percent of drivers in Missouri are driving illegally without insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute. In cases where the driver is uninsured or underinsured, you can go after their personal property. However, they are not likely to have very much in terms of assets due to the fact that they were not properly insured.
Your Attorney is the Biggest Piece of the Puzzle When it Comes to Fair Compensation
The last factor inadequate compensation is your attorney. The average personal injury settlement or lawsuit award is as low as it is because of sloppy legal work. Personal injury attorneys are going up against multi-billion dollar insurance companies with teams of lawyers, and you need an attorney with the legal clout, experience, and know-how to make it an even fight. Contact the Kansas City legal team at the Krause & Kinsman Law Firm today for more information about how we can help you recover what is rightfully yours.
