As Georgians accumulate more hours behind the wheel, they increase their exposure to risks. Car accidents happen every day. Whether it is negligence, recklessness, intoxication or distractions, no one can expect complete safety. However, when a car crash occurs, victims are left overwhelmed.
It can be challenging for car accident victims to navigate life immediately following the incident. Not only is the pain and suffering caused by the crash intense, but the medical bills piling up can be tremendous. In fact, the damages arising from a car accident can be overall life changing. Thus, it is important for accident victims to understand what kinds of damages they might suffer and what they could recover in a personal injury action.
To begin, a victim needs to be assessed by medical professionals. This will establish whether he or she was actually injured and to what extent if they were. Doing so not only helps document the injuries but what treatment was needed and if continued treatment will be necessary.
While car accident injuries might be severe and multitudinous, victims are required to mitigate their damages. This means that they have the duty to minimize or mitigate their damages. In other words, the injured party must take steps to mitigate damages by acting in good faith when choosing a doctor or a treatment plan. It also means seeking medical treatment because failure to get necessary medical treatment is also viewed as the failure to mitigate damages.
Victims of car accidents could suffer physical, mental and emotional injuries. Because medical bills tend to add up, it is important that victims understand how to proceed with the recovery of damages and what steps to take to recover a favorable compensation award.
Source: Findlaw.com, “Injury Damages,” accessed March 18, 2018
