If you are seeking compensation for an accident, you may have questions about your options. This article explains what can happen if you lose a personal injury claim. It covers topics like medical bills, injuries, and reopening your personal injury claim. It also covers special damages.
Injuries
When you file a personal injury claim, you must be completely honest with the insurance company. Failure to be honest can destroy your claim. Your claim should be viewed not as a means to make money but as a way to compensate you for the actual harm you suffered.
Often, a personal injury claim involves lost wages, medical bills, and other damages. It is important to maintain complete records of any lost income and expenses. Your lawyer can help you determine the impact your injury has had on your life.
Medical bills
If you have been in an accident and need to pay for medical bills, you can file a claim for compensation through your personal injury insurance provider. If you do not have health insurance coverage, you can also work out a medical lien with your insurer. This means you agree to pay your health insurer a percentage of your injury claim settlement before receiving your settlement check. However, if you cannot pay your medical bills, you will have to pay them yourself. In that case, it is important to seek legal counsel to discuss your rights.
If you do not have health insurance, you may need to pay for your medical bills with cash or a credit card. You may want to work out a payment plan with your medical providers, but you may also want to consider bankruptcy. Under Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you can liquidate your assets to pay your medical bills. However, if you file for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, your medical bills are subject to payment over a period of 3 to 5 years.
Reopening a personal injury claim
Reopening a personal injury claim can be a complicated process. The timing of the claim is key. Usually, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the accident. As a result, if you accept a settlement too soon, it will be difficult to reopen the claim.
Make sure to also read: What happens if I lose my personal injury claim?
There are two ways to reopen a personal injury claim if you lose it: (1) You can make a motion to the court to set aside the judgment or request a new trial. In order to successfully reopen a personal injury claim, you need to show that the evidence you presented during the trial was entirely new and that you had no reason to know about it before you filed your case.
Special damages
If you lose your personal injury claim, you may still be able to recover special damages. This can include lost wages and earnings as a result of your injury. This loss of income must be calculated from the date of your accident and continue until you are able to return to work. It can also include medical expenses and other domestic costs.
Special damages are a very important part of your claim. You can calculate the amount by figuring out how much you spent on medical bills, lost income, and irreplaceable property. The hardest part is projecting future costs. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to estimate present expenses.
