How you calculate medical expenses in an injury lawsuit depend on whether they are current or future losses. Below, we detail how to calculate current and future medical expenses.
Current Medical Costs
You may be entitled to compensation for any of the following current medical losses:
- Ambulance transportation
- Emergency room visits
- Hospital stays
- Physical therapy appointments
- Referrals to specialists
- Medical imaging, e.g., X-rays, CAT scans, MRIs, etc.
- The costs of traveling to and from medical appointments (e.g., gas purchases, parking fees, etc.)
Determining the value of these damages is usually straightforward. It starts with you saving all your bills and receipts related to your injury. We recommend placing them all in a folder and keeping them in a safe place. Once you have gathered all your receipts and medical bills, we simply add up all your losses to determine the value of your current medical bills.
Long-Term Medical Losses
Of course, not all accidents result in relatively simple injuries which can be resolved with a few doctor’s appointments or a few months of therapy. In some cases, your injury may require lifelong, even round-the-clock maintenance. To determine the costs of long-term care, we can work with medical and financial experts.
For example, if your loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, your loved one might face the effects of that injury for months, years, or even for the rest of her life. We can work with your doctor to determine how long the brain injury might continue to affect your loved one and your family.
For example: your loved one suffered a severe brain injury. Your doctor determined the injury would affect your loved one for the rest of her life. She will need long-term, round-the-clock care. Now that we have a prognosis, to determine how much this might cost you and your family over time, we can work with a financial expert.
Are There Any Factors That Might Affect the Calculation of My Medical Expenses?
Yes. Several factors may affect your calculations:
- The costs of medical care in your area
- The costs of medical attention over time (If your injury will affect you for the rest of your life, you must ensure you consider inflation or the rise of the costs of medical care over time.)
- The severity of your injuries and your prognosis
Is There Anything that Might Affect What I Can Recover for My Medical Expenses?
Yes. Once you have determined the value of your medical expenses, you must prove another party was at-fault for the incident that caused your injury. If the other party was 100 percent at-fault for the incident, you may be entitled to 100 percent of your damages.
However, per Georgia’s comparative negligence laws, if you contributed to an accident or your injuries, you may receive less than you hoped for. For example, say you slipped and fell in a puddle at the grocery store, hitting your head and sustaining a spinal cord injury.
An investigation found the store itself 80 percent at-fault for the accident as an employee ignored the spill and never placed a wet floor sign near the spill. However, surveillance video showed that you were texting when you fell. The investigation determined you might have been able to avoid the accident had you been paying attention. It found you 20 percent at-fault for your injuries.
If you requested $50,000 for your injuries, you might only be able to recover $40,000 (a 20-percent decrease).
Why Is It Important That I Know How to Calculate Injury Expenses?
If you do not know how to calculate your injury expenses, you might find you are missing out on thousands of dollars. Most injury settlement offers from an insurance company only include your current medical bills. Consider the following: You accept an injury settlement offer. You did not realize it did not cover all your injury costs. Your injury will require round-the-clock care for the rest of your life. You must now pay for decades of care out-of-pocket.
Call an Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer
Dealing with a serious injury is difficult enough without having to worry about the nuances of personal injury law. A personal injury lawyer at S. Burke Law can handle your case, determining the value of your medical expenses and any other losses your injury caused you. Once we have determined your case’s worth, we will negotiate with the insurance company, fighting to get you the compensation you deserve.
And because we know you likely do not need any more expenses at the moment, we handle your case on a contingency basis. This means you do not pay us unless we recover compensation for you.
Call us at 404-842-7838. We can walk you through what your options are in hopes of making the best decision for your family.