Personal injuries happen without warning. You might have a car accident. Or you could slip and fall or get bitten by a dog. Anything could happen. But should you file a personal injury claim? Here are 5 situations in which you might need to make a personal injury claim.
- Lost Wages and Medical Expenses
The number one reason to file a personal injury claim is to help pay expenses related to your injury. You might deserve compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, mental therapy, or some other injury-related expense.
Personal injury medical costs are often a huge expense and burden. And you might even need to pay for medications or transportation back and forth to treatment. The costs can really add up. If you’re facing expenses such as these because of a personal injury, you’ll likely want to file a claim.
- Ongoing Treatment or Therapy
Recurring expenses are common when dealing with a personal injury. You might need weeks or years of physical therapy. And if your injury is severe, you might even need to modify your home to make it accessible. Or you might need to pay for a home health aide to help you perform simple tasks. There’s also the possibility that you’ll need treatment for your mental state. Filing a personal injury claim will help pay for these expenses.
- Job Training and Reduced Pay
A personal injury can make it impossible to do your job. For example, a construction worker may have to switch jobs if they sustain a serious back injury. This can mean you’ll need to attend school or a class to learn a new skill or a trade. Paying for an education is expensive. A single class, an online class, or returning to a learning institution costs money – and it usually isn’t cheap. Plus, you may have to settle for a position that pays much less than what you were earning before your injury. Take this into account when trying to decide if you want to file a personal injury claim.
- Compensation for Emotional Trauma and Pain and Suffering
The area in which you live might allow you to file a claim based on emotional trauma caused by the injury. Some accident victims have problems such as PTSD following bad accidents. This condition often requires ongoing mental health treatment. However, filing a claim because of emotional trauma and pain and suffering isn’t always allowed. You’ll need to speak with a personal injury lawyer to know if your complaint is valid.
Foyle Legal Perth Personal Injury Lawyers can discuss the details of your situation. They’ll listen to the specifics of your case, and determine if you have a right to legal compensation.
- Protection Against Future Accidents
Filing a personal injury claim isn’t always about compensation. You might file a claim in an effort to prevent future injuries or accidents similar to the one you experienced.
For example, say that you fell and broke your leg outside of a restaurant. And the accident was caused by a broken stairway that the restaurant neglected to repair. You could bring a personal injury claim against the restaurant to force them to repair the stairway. It’s not that you’re looking for monetary compensation. But instead, you want to make sure no one else suffers because of the restaurant’s negligence.
You could even file a personal injury claim to bring attention to harmful working conditions. Maybe your injury resulted from a dangerous condition at your job, for example on a construction site. Bringing a claim against those responsible could possibly give them the incentive to create a safer working environment.
Deciding to File a Personal Injury Claim
Your decision to file a claim depends on your situation. It’s possible that you might feel filing a claim is unnecessary. But you might also believe that you’re entitled to compensation for all the hardships you’ve endured because of your injury.
Your best option is to contact a personal injury lawyer. A lawyer can discuss your situation in detail, decide if your case will stand up in a court of law, and provide details on how to proceed.