If you have been seriously harmed due to the negligent actions of a drunk driver, know that you do not have to face the consequences alone. An experienced intoxicated driver accident attorney could help you recover compensation for your losses by acting as a strong advocate for your best interests throughout a court or settlement procedure. Read on to learn more about how a skilled lawyer could help you determine the value of your McKinney drunk driver accident damages.
Following a significant wreck, a plaintiff may be able to recover a large number of McKinney drunk driver wreck damages. These losses can be divided into one’s economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are easily quantifiable costs that can come in the form of one’s medical bills and lost earnings. These include both past and future damages that can be calculated with the help of an economist or other financial professional.
Someone’s noneconomic damages are qualitative, and do not have an exact set formula to calculate. These can include one’s physical impairment, pain and mental anguish, and loss of consortium. Physical impairment refers to an individual’s inability to do tasks that the driver enjoyed in the past, such as walking freely without the assistance of a wheelchair. A plaintiff’s loss of consortium refers to a wrongful death case where someone lost the companionship and love of a family member or spouse due to the accident’s consequences.
The standard for one’s punitive damages are typically higher in McKinney drunk driving accident cases. Punitive damages are an additional financial award given to the plaintiff in order to make an example out of the defendant and prevent them from making such actions in the future. It requires a finding of gross negligence on behalf of the drunk driver, which may be thought of as an act of extreme and dangerous recklessness. Juries are wont to agree on this fact in many drunk driving cases. They also require a higher standard of proof that must be shown by clear evidence with a unanimous vote by the jury. While it is more difficult to attain this element of damage, it is more likely to happen in a drunk driving case.
Quantifying the full value of one’s McKinney drunk driver accident damages can be a time-consuming and detailed process that often requires the assistance of a professional attorney. Without a proper valuation of your claim, you may not know whether or not you are being taken advantage of by the insurance company of the party at fault.
A dedicated injury lawyer could fight for your deserved compensation by using the help of expert witnesses and supporting evidence to show why you should receive a fair compensation package. If you feel as if your accident losses were unjustly devalued by an insurance company, do not hesitate to reach out to our committed team of attorneys today.
McCraw Law Group