If you are injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, you have the right to file a personal injury claim against the responsible party to seek monetary compensation for all of the financial losses you have suffered due to your injuries. Sadly, many victims sustain permanent injuries that require ongoing medical care even after settling their claim. Fortunately, you can seek compensation for future medical expenses in a personal injury claim. Please continue reading and contact an adept Chesterfield County Personal Injury Lawyer who can help you understand your legal options.
Can I claim future medical expenses in a personal injury case in South Carolina?
In a personal injury claim, you can seek reimbursement for the economic and non-economic damages you have incurred due to your injuries. Economic damages are any out-of-pocket calculable losses. This may include medical bills, lost wages, household services, vocational rehabilitation, lost earning capacity, and other tangible losses. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are not quantifiable losses. Non-economic damages may include pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, or other subjective losses.
Fortunately, as mentioned above, you can seek compensation for your past, present, and future medical expenses in a personal injury claim. However, you can only seek compensation for future medical costs if your injury is expected to take time to heal, remain the same, or worsen over time. Your future medical expenses accounts for the costs you are expected to incur for your medical care after settling your claim. Individuals often seek compensation for their future medical expenses to cover the anticipated costs of surgeries, medications, in-home nursing services, hospitalizations, rehabilitative therapy, follow-up appointments, and other medical care that may be required due to their injuries.
How are they calculated?
Two approaches are commonly used to calculate the value of future medical expenses: the additional expense approach and the total lifestyle approach. The additional expense approach is used when victims are expected to maintain their former lifestyle after recovering. The total lifestyle approach calculates the value of future medical expenses when the extent of a victim’s injuries prevents them from maintaining their former lifestyle. Often, attorneys use the total lifestyle approach when a victim sustains life-altering injuries.
When injured through no fault of your own, you deserve to be fairly compensated. Therefore, it is in your best interest to retain the legal services of a skilled lawyer from the Cockrell Law Firm, P.C. today, who can help you fight for the just compensation you deserve for your anticipated medical expenses. Our firm is prepared to represent your interests to help you achieve a favorable outcome.
