When to Take My Car Accident to Court

When you have been hurt in a car accident, you may wonder what types of financial compensation you can pursue through a legal claim. Any type of harm or loss that you experience can be grounds for seeking financial recovery. 

“Damages” is the term for payments to victims from those responsible for their accidents and injuries. Like most tort claims, car accident cases allow victims to seek two primary types of compensatory damages. 

These two primary types of damages are called “economic” and “non-economic” damages. Most accident victims are uncertain about how to estimate the value of their case. 

For this reason, it is critical to speak with a knowledgeable legal professional. The team at Morgan & Morgan will review your car accident claim and help you determine its value. 

If your car accident was severe, you might be owed both kinds of compensatory damages. Below, we discuss these categories in detail.

What Are Economic Damages?

Economic damages are payments that compensate accident and injury victims for their financial losses. 

Oftentimes, injury victims experience mounting financial obligations. Injured people should be able to focus on their recovery rather than worrying over monetary concerns. 

Some of the most common examples of economic damages include compensation for: 

• Vehicular and other property damage
• Current and past medical expenses
• Travel related to medical care, including ambulance rides
• Hospitalization
• Anticipated future medical care costs
• Lost income and missed wages due to an inability to work
• Anticipated loss of future earning potential

Typically, victims only consider their immediate medical bills and vehicle repair costs. It is critical to have an experienced attorney review the facts of your claim to pursue all of the money that you are rightfully owed.

What Are Non-Economic Damages?

Some of the most devastating consequences of traffic accidents do not take the form of monetary expenses. When someone is injured in a car accident, they may experience long-term physical, mental, and emotional harm. 

Even though this type of damage is not financial, victims still deserve compensation for these kinds of harm. Compensatory payments for these losses are known as “non-economic” damages. 
Some typical examples of non-economic damages in car accident claims include: 

• Physical pain and suffering
• Mental anguish and distress
• Anxiety, stress, and panic attacks
• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Embarrassment
• Loss of the ability to engage in hobbies and recreational activities

Unfortunately, some traffic accidents result in fatal injuries to those who are involved. When this happens, the decedent’s surviving family and loved ones may be able to pursue a legal claim. 

This type of tort case is known as a “wrongful death” claim. When a car accident results in a wrongful death case, the victim’s representative can recover damages that would have gone to the decedent if they had survived. 

Some of the most common damages in wrongful death cases include: 

• Compensation for the victim’s pain and suffering
• Compensation for the family’s pain and suffering
• The victim’s remaining medical bills
• Funeral costs
• Burial expenses

Calculating the value of a traffic accident case is very complex. But no matter the circumstances of your car accident case, the team at Morgan & Morgan can help. 

In rare cases, accident victims may be awarded “punitive” damages. This type of payment is not meant to pay back the injured person’s expenses; instead, it is meant to punish the person or other entity that caused an accident. 

You should never settle for less compensation than you need to move forward. Let our accomplished attorneys determine the full value of your accident or injury case.

In the aftermath of an accident, some victims worry about the cost of legal services. This is understandable. 

However, the firm of Morgan & Morgan operates on a contingency fee payment model. With this approach, clients pay nothing until their case has been successfully concluded. 

When you hire one of our compassionate legal experts, we will agree to a specific portion of the recovery from your car accident claim. You will not pay a single dime unless we successfully recover financial compensation for you. 

After we settle or win your traffic collision case, that percentage of the compensation will be allocated to cover the legal costs. You should never hire a personal injury lawyer or firm that requires you to pay upfront legal fees.

Yes! Although most car accident cases do not require litigation, some do. 

Some insurance companies and liable parties are uncooperative. When settlement negotiations break down, your attorney may need to file a lawsuit on your behalf. While everyone wants to avoid a trial, sometimes they are necessary to recover the compensation that you are owed. 

If your case goes to court, you should not worry about whether your legal representative has the necessary experience. The skilled lawyers at Morgan & Morgan have plenty of courtroom experience. 

Our firm boasts more than 1,000 trial-ready attorneys all across the U.S. When you hire our firm, you can rest assured that we will take your claim as far as is needed.

If you have been involved in a collision, you may think, “I wonder when to take my car accident to court.” You should never pursue financial compensation in a collision case without the help of a knowledgeable legal professional.

The accomplished team at Morgan & Morgan has the experience, skills, and knowledge to build a powerful case for you. Since our firm’s founding, our attorneys have recovered more than $20 billion dollars in financial compensation for our clients. 

We understand the difficulties that car accident victims experience. That is why we will provide you with a no-cost and no-obligation legal evaluation. To schedule your free initial consultation, fill out the contact form on our website. Let Morgan & Morgan represent you.