How Future Medical Costs Are Calculated After a Car Accident
If your auto accident injury requires extensive medical treatment that goes on even after the case might be resolved, you need to make sure to include those future costs in your settlement negotiations or court verdict. You may end up bearing the financial responsibility for all future medical costs if you don’t do this. This is especially true in the case of permanent, long-lasting, or catastrophic injuries.
Experienced attorneys will know how to work with your medical providers and independent medical expert witnesses to ensure the compensation amount reflects the true cost of your present damages and future medical care.
Future Medical Expenses in a Car Accident in Alabama
Future medical expenses cover a wide array of medical treatments that depend on the severity of injuries sustained in a car accident. These include:
- Hospital costs
- Follow-up care
- Diagnostic tests
- Physical or occupational therapy
- Future surgeries
- Mobility equipment
- Specialty medical supplies
- Long-term prescription medication
- Long-term nursing and caregiving services
- Home modifications, including widened hallways, wheelchair ramps, and handicap-accessible showers
It is important to work with a personal injury attorney that has experience in understanding the financial strain caused by long-term medical treatment and takes care of the legal aspects of a claim so that you can better focus on your recovery.
Calculating Future Medical Expenses in a Car Accident Claim
If you or your loved one is left with devastating or long-lasting injuries because of another driver’s negligence, you should work with an experienced personal injury attorney to determine your future medical costs. It can be difficult to estimate the amount of money required for covering the cost of future medical care. This is because you are essentially placing a value on those medical treatments that have not yet happened.
In addition, you will need to provide documentation to the insurance company for establishing the necessity of future medical treatments. The two primary approaches to calculating future medical expenses are the Additional Expenses approach and the Total Lifestyle approach.
Additional Expenses Approach
Auto accidents often result in injuries ranging from soft-tissue damage to severe bodily harm. These are a few types of devastating injuries that may occur:
- Fractured or broken bones
- Spinal cord damage
- Nerve damage
- Internal injury
These injuries usually require different forms of medical treatment for extended periods. Your attorney may make use of the Additional Expenses approach for calculating future medical costs if this happens. Specific medical costs associated with a particular treatment are estimated by this approach. The approach ensures that victims obtain adequate compensation for covering their future medical expenses. This includes:
- Surgical costs
- Medical supplies and equipment
- Transportation needs
- Long-term care
Even if your injuries are not life-altering or permanent, it may take years till you fully recover. Hence, you need to find an experienced attorney that understands the costs related to long-term care.
Total Lifestyle Approach
Compensation is usually calculated using the total lifestyle approach in cases where the injuries from an auto accident are so life-altering and severe that the victim is unable to live independently. Your doctor may indicate maximum medical improvement (MMI) once the initial treatment has been concluded by your primary physician. MMI basically means the recovery has plateaued.
Taking this into account, this doesn’t mean that your treatment needs to be stopped. You may still require ongoing medical care. For instance, victims with traumatic brain injuries, brain damage, paralysis, or spinal cord injuries often need specialized long-term care following a car accident. This includes:
- Additional hospital stays
- Follow-up visits to monitor health conditions
- In-home caregiving
- Rehabilitation and other types of therapy
- In-home modification
- Specialized medical equipment
Future Medical Costs are Not Always Provided
You need to understand whether your injury qualifies for compensation for future medical costs. In some cases, you may heal completely and never have to worry about your injuries again. For instance, if you have a broken leg that can heal completely with a cast, you probably won’t incur further medical expenses.
Pertaining to this, if your injuries are severe, you may never make a complete recovery. You may require ongoing medical care for the rest of your life in this case. Future medical costs are awarded where full recovery is not expected. In relation to this, the burden of proving the need for future medical costs rests on the victim and their attorney.
It’s crucial that you consult with a qualified personal injury attorney if you are injured because of the fault of another. Your attorney will be able to help you gather the evidence and proof required for future medical costs. They will also handle all necessary negotiations with the insurance company to arrive at a settlement offer or take the claim to trial.
Discuss a Winning Legal Strategy with Our Seasoned Personal Injury Attorneys
The experienced car accident attorneys at the law firm of Frank M. Wilson can help you file a claim and recover maximum compensation, including future medical costs and future pain and suffering. Our attorneys have helped many victims and their families get over the stress of worrying about future medical care.
When you have us on your side, you can focus on your recovery, while we take care of protecting your rights to compensation. Schedule your confidential consultation with us today. Call (334) 423-3137 or write to us online.
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