If you have been involved in an accident you may be entitled to compensation for the injuries you sustained in the accident. Accidents come in many forms: car accidents, airplane accidents; train accidents; motorcycle accidents; pedestrian accidents and many more. Regardless of what type of accident you were involved in, if someone else was negligent, you may be entitled to compensation to cover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other things associated with the accident.
According to California accident lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, accidents in the State of California are covered under the laws of negligence. Negligence is basically a legal term that means fault or blame. While the specific facts surrounding each accident will differ, the general manner in which compensation is determined is the same in each type of accident case. The first step in your accident case will be for you and your lawyer to determine who was negligent. There may be more than one person, entity or municipality that was negligent in your accident. In airplane accidents, for example, it is not uncommon to find that the pilot and the airline were both negligent. In car accident cases, there are frequently multiple vehicles involved in the accident – especially on some of California’s congested freeways!
Once you and your accident lawyer have determined who was negligent in your accident, then you must begin to assess damages. “Damages” is a legal term that is used to describe injuries. In California, you may recover economic damages as well as non-economic damages. Your accident lawyer can give you a more detailed list of each type, but basically economic damages are things like property damages, lost wages and medical bills while non-economic damages address the emotional impact of the accident. You and your lawyer will keep close tabs on your medical progress and when you get to a point where your medical providers feel that they can give you an accurate diagnosis and future prognosis, then you will begin to get an idea of what you accident case is worth. The value of your case will be a combination of economic and non-economic damages. Your economic damages are relatively easy to assess, however even those can sometimes be tricky if it appears that you will need continued treatment or will continue to suffer from the injuries well into the future. Your non-economic damages are much more subjective in nature. They will, to some extent, be dependant on the extent and severity of your physical injuries, but non-economic damages are highly case specific.
In the end, your accident case will depend greatly on the facts of your case. Understanding how compensation is computed is only the beginning of the answer to the question. Your best bet is to consult with a California accident attorney and get a detailed evaluation of your unique and individual case. If you would like to schedule a free evaluation with the California accident law firm of Ledger & Associates, please contact them at 1-800-300-0001 or through their website at www.ledgerlaw.com.
