How Much to Expect From a Car Accident Settlement in Ocala, FL
Bill Allen | August 30, 2021 | Car Accidents
Have you been injured in a car accident in Ocala, Florida? You may be able to recover compensation for a variety of losses, including your medical bills.
Florida is currently a no-fault state. In Florida, you can begin pursuing compensation after an accident by filing a claim with your own insurance. This is true even if someone else technically caused the accident. However, if your injuries are serious enough, you can also file a claim to collect from the insurance of a negligent party.
You might be wondering how much your claim is worth. There’s no universal answer to this question. Some car accident claims are worth a couple of thousand dollars at most. Others are worth millions.
Numerous factors influence how much money a victim might recover when filing a claim. Understanding these factors can set your expectations for your settlement.
Medical Bills
A car accident in Ocala, FL, may leave you with injuries that require costly medical treatment. You may need to receive ongoing treatment or medical assistance for years after an accident. Your settlement will ideally cover your past and future medical expenses.
However, it can be difficult to estimate how much money you’ll need to spend on medical care in the future. Attorneys have experience calculating future expenses and can involve medical and economic experts when necessary.
An Important Note on Getting Medical Care After an Accident
It is essential that you seek prompt medical care after an accident. You should see a doctor even if you don’t think you’ve been injured; the signs or symptoms of an injury may not present themselves until days or even weeks after an accident.
You’ll recover more quickly if your injuries are identified and treated sooner rather than later. Additionally, an insurance company may try to deny your claim if you didn’t seek immediate medical attention after your collision. They could argue you failed to mitigate your damages.
Protect yourself by seeing a doctor after an accident, no matter how healthy you feel.
Lost Wages
Your medical bills may not be your only financial losses after a car accident. It’s not uncommon for severe car accident injuries to prevent a victim from returning to work. Often, this is only a temporary setback. However, some injuries prevent victims from ever working again.
You recover compensation for your lost wages while you recover from your injuries. You can also recover money if your injuries cause reduced earning capacity.
Non-Economic Damages
The above two factors refer to the main economic damages that may result from a car accident. You may also be able to recover compensation for various non-economic damages.
Examples of such damages include the following:
- Physical pain
- Mental and/or emotional trauma
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
Non-economic damages are personal, rather financial, in nature. They compensate for the hidden losses of an injury. There will usually be no proof of their financial value, such as bills, receipts, invoices, etc.
This highlights another reason to hire an attorney. An attorney can document your non-economic damages and present a case for compensation to the insurance company.
No lawyer can promise you’ll settle for a specific amount of money. What a lawyer can do, however, is account for all relevant factors when negotiating for a fair settlement on your behalf. These are merely a few of the more noteworthy factors they will consider.
Contact Our Car Accident Law Firm in North Central Florida
If you need legal assistance, contact the Ocala car accident lawyers at Allen Law Firm at your nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.
We have two convenient locations in North Central Florida:
Allen Law Firm, P.A. – Gainesville office
2550 SW 76th St #150
Gainesville, FL 32608
(877) 255-3652
Allen Law Firm, P.A. – Ocala Office
112 S Pine Ave
Ocala, FL 34471
(352) 351-3258
