You could say that an accidental injury has stages. The first stage is the accident itself and the accompanying trauma and pain. The second stage is financial. It doesn’t take very long before the medical bills start coming in. Then there are extra costs for gas, meals, childcare and other expenses resulting from the accident. Often, the accident also means there is less income coming into the household.
The average automobile liability insurance claim is about $15,000 for bodily injury, but that doesn’t begin to represent the impact on someone who has been seriously injured. That $15,000 includes all of the fender-bender cases that caused minor injuries – there are always a lot of those. The bad crashes, obviously, cost much more. Drunk drivers are involved in over 40% of auto accidents and caused approximately 1/3 of the deaths. The other primary causes of auto accidents are speeding, distracted drivers, cell phone use and fatigue. In other words, most of those accidents were preventable.
A traumatic brain injury, for example, is an incredibly expensive injury to treat. The direct medical costs can range from a low of $85,000 to over $3,000,000. This type of injury changes everyone’s lives forever. Many of those who suffer from such an injury are never able to regain anything remotely resembling the lifestyle that they enjoyed prior to the accident. Families must make huge sacrifices to care for their loved one.
When someone suffers a terrible brain injury or other serious injury, it is never possible to know what the true costs will be until some time has passed. The extent of treatment needed in the future is an unknown, but will have to be paid for. Insurance companies are well aware of this, and believe that an early settlement is to the advantage of the insurance company.
The Chappell Law Group stands ready to safeguard the rights of Florida residents who have been injured because of another negligence. When the bills start piling up, especially when there is now no pay check every week, many find that talking to a Qualified Personal Injury Lawyer can help them find out where they stand.
Contact Chappell Howard E Attorney At Law to explore all of the available options. You’ll be speaking to an attorney, not the receptionist.
