Every personal injury case is different. The settlement due depends on the extent of your injuries and their impact on your life. Some injuries may have far-reaching consequences on your life, demanding more compensation than others that have only caused minimal harm. In addition, some injuries may require you to miss work for a considerable time.
Determining how much in damages you’ve sustained is a key to arriving at a settlement figure to demand.
Damages that you can request following an accident
You can generally account for both economic and non-economic damages when making a demand for compensation for the following:
- Past and future medical bills
- The cost of rehabilitation or therapy
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages
- Mental anguish caused by your injuries, among others
There are also other factors, such as special and non-special damages that you may also be able to request as part of the settlement in an accident case. The following factors my affect how much of these you can receive:
- The responsible party’s actions leading up to your injuries
- Precedents set in previous cases
- Insurance policy limits of the defendant
- Going to trial
- Applicable laws such as damage caps
- Impact of the injuries on your daily life
- Disability or disfigurement
While compensation is not meant to enrich you, it goes a long way in restoring your life to how it was before the injury. It is therefore imperative that you get adequately compensated for your injuries. Being aware of your rights is one thing; safeguarding them is another.
Do not let a negligent party leave you in financial uncertainty. Instead, take time to learn what South Dakota law says regarding personal injury cases – it might save you a lot now and in the future as you recover from your injuries.