Nevada personal injury lawyers can help injured people get compensation in many types of accidents, including car accidents, construction accidents, and medical malpractice. One of the most important things to know about your legal options after an accident is that certain types of injuries qualify you to make specific claims through a personal injury lawsuit in Nevada after an accident (or incident). The following are five essential claims you can make through a personal injury lawsuit in Nevada after an accident (or incident).
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1. Physical Pain and Suffering
Physical pain and suffering are the most common claims in personal injury lawsuits. This claim compensates you for the physical pain and suffering you experienced due to your injuries. To win this type of claim, you will need to prove that your injuries were due to an accident and that they significantly impacted your life. However, you need to prove that your injuries are related to the incident.
Even if you are a pedestrian and you suffer in an accident, whether jaywalking or otherwise, you still deserve compensation for your injuries. You can contact Las Vegas Pedestrian Accident Lawyers to help you seek your total compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. However, a statute of limitations applies when claiming physical pain and suffering; this means that filing a claim must happen within two years from the date of the accident.
2. Current and Future Medical Bills
One of the claims you can make through a personal injury lawsuit after an accident is for your current and future medical bills. That includes the medical bills you have already incurred and any estimated future bills. Your injury lawyer will work with medical experts to determine the full extent of your injuries and the expected cost of treatment.
However, you need a supportive medical report before filing this claim and an experienced injury attorney who knows how to assess the level of damages sustained by their clients and ensure that the medical reports are accurate and reflect your mental, physical, and emotional condition. The doctor should also be willing to go on record with their assessment.
3. Lost Income and Wage
One of the most critical claims you can make through a personal injury lawsuit is for lost income and wages. If you are unable to work currently and there’s a good reason why you may not work soon, you can claim lost wages and future earnings you may have lost as a result of your injuries. However, if you can prove disability, you can claim your lost income under one of two federal laws: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
SSDI usually requires you to pay into Social Security at least ten years before applying, while SSI doesn’t require you to contribute. SSDI depends on how much money you earn, while SSI on your financial needs, and both have a limit to what you can receive.
4. Wrongful Death
If you’ve lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim. That type of claim can help you recover damages such as funeral and burial expenses, loss of companionship, and more. For example, if your spouse died because the driver of the other car involved in the accident was speeding, that driver would be liable for any lost wages your spouse would have earned over their lifetime.
Also, if your spouse had been carrying life insurance when they died, you might be entitled to the proceeds from that policy—just like if it were any other person who had died unexpectedly and without leaving behind a will. However, an injury lawyer should be able to help you prove carelessness and negligence by the negligent party. You’ll need evidence such as eyewitness accounts, police reports, or dashcam footage to make your case.
5. Punitive Damages
If the court finds that the defendant’s actions were particularly egregious, the jury may award you punitive damages. That means to punish the wrongdoer and deter others from similar behavior. Nevada has no cap on how much punitive damages the jury can award.
However, this award will likely not cover your medical bills or lost wages because it punishes the wrongdoer and does not make the plaintiff whole. However, It is rare for a jury to award punitive damages because they are difficult to prove.
Conclusion
An injury lawyer can provide legal advice about what types of damages are available in these cases and how to proceed with the case after deciding whether or not to pursue it. The time limits vary depending on which state you live in and the kind of lawsuit you file. In Nevada, for instance, there is a two-year statute of limitations for wrongful death claims (but only within three years from the date the cause of action accrued).
