How Future Medical Costs Are Calculated After A Car Accident

People who are injured in car accidents often face a long road to recovery. Some suffer major injuries that have an impact on all aspects of their lives. Accurately calculating future medical expenses is crucial to ensuring injured victims get the care they need without suffering financial hardship. Our car accident attorneys at Moore Law Firm are well-versed in determining future medical costs in personal injury claims. We fight to help injured victims get the compensation they need to protect their health and financial well-being.

What Are Future Medical Costs?

Future medical expenses are damages that are sometimes included as part of a car accident claim settlement or award. Typically, future medical costs are provided to accident victims who have sustained catastrophic injuries and will need ongoing medical care and specialized services. They may also suffer from secondary complications of an injury that can require further treatment.  Those who sustain less severe injuries and reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) fairly quickly may not need future accident-related care.

Types Of Future Medical Expenses

Each case is unique, but some common future medical expenses that a car accident attorney may take into account include:

• Hospital stays
• Surgeries
• Rehabilitation
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Specialists
• Diagnostic tests
• Medications
• Nursing care
• Assisted living costs
• Mental health treatment
• Medical supplies and equipment
• Prosthetics
• Home and vehicle modifications
• Transportation assistance
• Other relevant expenses

Although things like modifications and transportation aren’t technically medical expenses, it’s vital to take the cost of them into consideration to accurately value your claim.

Calculating The Future Cost Of Medical Care

How much an injured victim may receive for future medical expenses depends on their specific needs and the extent of their injuries. For example, someone who has suffered a serious spinal cord injury in a crash with a tractor-trailer will most likely need more future medical care than a person who sustained whiplash in a car accident.

Some common injuries that may require future medical care include:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Spinal cord injuries
• Other head, neck, and back injuries
• Paralysis
• Broken or crushed bones
• Burns
• Amputation

To get an accurate estimate of what future costs may be, your car accident lawyer will ask your treating physician (or physicians) to testify about your condition and may consult medical professionals who are well-versed in the type of care and modifications you may need. Your car accident attorney will use this information to put a dollar amount on your future medical costs. The expert testimony of these witnesses can confirm the grave, life-changing nature of your injuries and help back your claims for future medical expenses.

Other Damages In Car Accident Cases

In addition to past and future medical expenses, you may be entitled to recover compensation for damages such as:

• Past and future lost wages
• Loss of earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish and emotional distress
• Permanent disability
• Disfigurement
• Loss of enjoyment
• Loss of companionship and consortium

How An Alabama Car Accident Lawyer Can Help

Proving fault in personal injury claims can be challenging. It can be easy to underestimate the physical, emotional, and financial costs of an injury. Your auto accident attorney looks out for your best interests and fights to help you recover the full amount of compensation to which you may be entitled. They handle all communications and negotiations with insurers so you can focus on getting better. Being severely hurt is traumatic and stressful. Having a personal injury attorney fight to help you get the future care you need takes a huge weight off your shoulders.

Contact A Mobile Car Accident Attorney

At Moore Law Firm, we care about our clients and their families. For more than 30 years, our auto accident lawyers have helped injured victims in Alabama recover the compensation they need to heal and move on with their lives. For a free case evaluation, contact us online, call 251-445-7602, or use the convenient chat feature on our website to learn more.