The roadways in Texas’ major cities, such as here in San Antonio, are known for being heavily congested. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that auto accidents are commonplace.
Many car accident victims walk away with minimal, if any, injuries when they have a crash. A handful of others suffer catastrophic injuries, including spinal cord or head injuries in their crashes. Some even unexpectedly die in these accidents.
Getting the right medical care can be costly. You may wonder how you’re going to keep up with your bills if you can’t work. You may feel as if you deserve something for the pain and inconvenience that you’re enduring. Texas law may allow you to qualify for compensation for all of these things.
What damages can you recover following a car crash?
The word “damages” refers to any compensation you might be able to recover to pay for your accident-related expenses. Car crash victims can generally recover both compensatory and punitive damages in a collision case.
How do compensatory and punitive damages differ?
Most of the damages that a car accident victim may recover following their crash are compensatory. Crash-related expenses that may fall into this category include:
- Lost wages
- Transportation costs
- Household expenses
- Future and current medical bills
Any pain and suffering or mental anguish that you must endure following your accident and loss of personal enjoyment and consortium also qualify as compensatory damages.
The court generally imposes punitive damages if they must step in and handle an accident case. Judges may order the motorist who caused the accident to pay hefty fines if there’s evidence to suggest that they engaged in immoral or intentional acts. Courts generally impose punitive damages to deter other motorists from carrying out the same acts.
What damages can you pursue following your injury accident?
Texas subscribes to the at-fault insurance doctrine, which means that injured motorists can hold the negligent one who caused the crash liable for accident-related expenses. As the injured motorist, you must prove liability to successfully go after a negligent driver. Doing so can prove challenging. There are steps that you’ll want to take now to begin building your case to ensure that you receive the fairest compensation possible.
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