The amount of compensation you can recover for a bus accident will depend on your medical bills, damage to your vehicle, lost wages and future earnings, scarring and disfigurement, disability, and even your emotional distress.
In our other Bus Accident FAQs we have outlined the various laws surrounding Illinois bus accidents as well as what you need to prove to win your case in court. But what is your bus accident case actually worth? While it’s impossible to predict what your exact monetary recovery would be since every case is unique, these are some of the different claims the law allows you to make if you have been injured by the negligent acts of a bus driver and bus company:
- Medical bills—You should be able to be reimbursed for all the medical expenses you incurred as a result of the accident, including charges for ambulance transport; emergency room treatment; surgeries; doctors’ charges; medication; special equipment including wheelchairs, casts and crutches; physical therapy and rehabilitation, and more. This includes not only your past and current costs but your anticipated future costs as well.
- Property damage—If an accident with a bus damaged your car or other personal property, you should be able to recover for the costs required to repair or replace the vehicle, as necessary.
- Lost wages—If you had to miss work while recovering from injuries you sustained in a bus accident, you should be able to be compensated for the income you lost as well as anticipated future lost income if you are unable to return to work for an indefinite period of time.
- Disability—In many situations, bus accident victims are left with lasting disabilities and can no longer engage in the same activities they did or at the same level they did before their injuries. They often require modifications to their homes or vehicles in order to accommodate their new physical limitations.
- Scarring and disfigurement—Bus accidents are very traumatic events, and the sheer force can leave a person not only severely injured and in pain, but with permanent scars and disfigurement. This can not only damage a person’s external appearance but also their self-esteem, and you are allowed to seek compensation for this reduction in your quality of life.
- Emotional distress—Along with the considerable physical suffering that accompanies serious injuries sustained in a bus accident, victims also experience great mental anguish as a result of having their lives upended, possibly long-term. They often must cope with chronic pain and adjust to a new way of life that severely limits the activities they were able to enjoy before the accident. The law recognizes this and allows plaintiffs to seek compensation for emotional suffering, which is considered an intangible loss or “noneconomic” damage.
How can I Calculate What my Bus Accident Settlement or Award Will be?
Because juries have broad discretion in rendering verdicts, arriving at a precise number is nearly impossible. However, you can estimate the approximate range of what your settlement or award would fall into by tallying all of your tangible expenses, or economic damages, for such things as medical bills and lost wages, then adding your noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of normal life. The latter figure is normally one-and-a-half to two times higher than your economic damages.
The sum of these two amounts should give you a good estimate of what your bus accident award may be.
As you can see, figuring how much financial compensation you can recover for injuries you sustained in a bus accident involves many variables and depends greatly on your specific circumstances. The above list only provides a starting point. The skilled bus accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can give you a more personalized estimate of what you could expect to recover in your Illinois bus accident case.
How can my Accident Lawyer Ensure my Recovery?
At the onset of your bus accident case, there are several things your lawyers will do to establish your monetary losses and protect your future recovery. First they will obtain all your medical records and bills and request a wage verification sheet from your employer to establish your lost income. A qualified accident firm will also be able to employ medical and vocational experts who can testify to the extent of your injuries and your changed earning capacity due to your new physical limitations. Experienced counsel should know what to do from the get-go and have the resources to do it.
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC works tirelessly to recover the greatest compensation possible for Illinois bus accident victims. Like our other clients, we can help you on a contingency basis so you only get charged for our services once we successfully resolve your case. To learn about the recovery that awaits you, call us today and speak with one of our experienced accident attorneys.
