Typically, a person’s automobile accident insurance covers all the elements of damages a person faces after an injury. However, there are two different things that must be looked at with car accident insurance and recoverable compensation.

The first element is property damage. In some states, there is no-fault insurance, but this is not available in Virginia. If another driver drives negligent and runs into their car, the other driver and their insurance company are responsible to pay them for their property damage. They are also responsible for paying all of the injury damages, the non-economic damages, and the economic damages.

There as a good chance after a car crash injury that you could recover financial compensation from the responsible driver’s insurance company. To learn more about what damages insurance covers in Charlottesville car accident cases, you may wish to consult a dedicated car crash lawyer. By working with a local car accident attorney, you could be sure that you do not give up any compensation you are owed during negotiation with the insurance company.

The Importance of Working with a Lawyer When Negotiating With Insurance

The insurance adjusters will do everything they can to minimize the amount of money that they must pay out to a victim in a claim. Therefore, they will often try to get the victim to make mistakes in their statement or otherwise get them to admit partial fault. In other situations, they may offer a settlement and offer it quickly, but the settlement is almost always far less than what the case is worth.

To preserve their rights to a claim, it is wise for plaintiffs to say nothing to the other driver’s insurance company without consulting an attorney. A lawyer could apply their experience to prevent any missteps that might reduce an award or bar a person from collecting compensation.

Calculating Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are meant to serve as compensation for a victim’s intangible losses such as pain and mental anguish, the injury and its effect on your health, inconvenience, and other difficult to calculate issues. The effects that the injuries have had on the victim make a big difference in the value of a settlement or compensatory award. If a plaintiff will be affected by these injuries for the rest of their lives, they should expect to receive a higher award than if they were to heal quickly.

Damage Caps for Car Accident Injuries

Virginia has no caps on non-economic damages or economic damages in car accident cases. There is only one cap in Virginia that applies to car collision cases. That is the punitive damages cap of $350,000.00. However, from a practical standpoint, there are caps on what a person could recover. Those caps are normally the amount of insurance coverage that’s available in a case.

Most people do not have the ability to pay $10,000.00, $20,000.00, $40,000.00, $50,000.00 out of their pocket to someone that they hurt in a car accident. They rely on their insurance to do it. If they don’t have enough insurance, they’re typically not in a financial situation to pay anything above the insurance policy limits.

Contact a Lawyer for Insurance Negotiations Today

After a crash and injury, you may be owed monetary compensation to get your life back on track. If you were injured by a negligent or reckless driver, you will likely need to seek compensation from their insurance carrier. The insurance companies will work against you every step of the way to try to limit the amount of compensation you are able to receive.  To learn more about what damages insurance covers in Charlottesville car accident cases, it is important that you contact an attorney right away. Do not speak with a defendant’s insurance company or sign a settlement until you have retained legal counsel. Call The Warren Firm right away to get started.