Factors Determining Future Damages In a Personal Injury Claim
Posted on: 18 August 2022
You deserve compensation for all damages after an auto accident, including ongoing or future ones. However, determining future damages is complicated since the future is uncertain, and current human knowledge cannot predict it with certainty. Below are some factors you can use to determine your future damages relatively accurately.
Your Injury's Permanency
You deserve compensation for future damages if you have long-term or permanent injuries. Some damages last your whole life if you have a permanent injury. For example, losing a limb means you might need prosthetics for the rest of your life.
For a long-term injury, you deserve compensation for damages you might incur until you heal. For example, you might need pain medication for two years if doctors expect you to have recovered by then. Thus, the duration or permanency of your injuries matters in future damage determination.
Ongoing Expenses
Not all long-term or permanent injuries incur the same expenses. For example, an auto accident victim with a lost limb might require prosthetics, but not a victim with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Thus, your injury's nature determines your ongoing and future expenses, which affect your future damages calculations.
Your Age and Expected Lifespan
Your age at the time of the accident determines several aspects of your case. For example, your age determines the accuracy of calculating your future income. As a working adult, labor or career experts can determine your future income with a reasonable degree of accuracy. On the other hand, determining a child's future income is relatively complicated.
In addition, your expected lifespan determines how long the accident will affect your life. For example, a teenager with a lost limb will suffer its effects longer than a senior would with a similar misfortune.
Inflation
Lastly, the prices of goods and services change over time, mostly for the worse. For example, a hundred thousand dollars today might not offer you the same quality of medical treatment thirty years from now. Inflation means goods and services cost more over time, even if their quality and quantity don't increase.
Thus, preempt such shortfalls and factor inflation into your calculation of future damages. Financial experts should help you with such calculations since they are generally too complicated for those outside the financial industry.
Hopefully, you will get compensation for all your accident damages. Note that you must prove all your damages; your word is not enough. Consult a personal injury lawyer to help you value your case and pursue your damages.
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