Damages You Can Seek After a Colorado Car Accident

If you or somebody you care about has sustained an injury caused by the negligence of another driver in Colorado, you should be able to recover various types of compensation for your losses. This includes coverage of medical bills, wage replacement, and property damage expenses. It is important to examine the different types of economic and non-economic damages recoverable in these situations.

Recoverable Compensatory Damages After a Colorado Car Accident

Any individual involved in a vehicle accident caused by the actions of another driver should be able to recover compensation for their losses. In general, there are certain types of economic and non-economic compensatory damages recoverable in these situations.

Economic damages refer to concrete calculable losses that individuals sustain after a vehicle accident occurs. This includes the types of damages that can be calculated by gathering bills, receipts, pay stubs, and other types of documentation. Some of the most common economic damages that individuals can seek after a car accident include the following:

• Coverage of emergency medical expenses
• Compensation for all follow-up medical visits
• Compensation for prescription medications and medical devices
• Coverage of physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Lost wages if a crash victim cannot work
• Any household out-of-pocket expenses are rising due to the crash
• Property damage expenses
• Rental vehicle expenses

Non-economic damages are also recoverable after a Colorado car accident, but these types of losses are harder to calculate. Non-economic damages are considered to be more immeasurable because there may not be bills or receipts that can be analyzed to come up with fair compensation for a victim’s:

• Emotional and psychological distress caused by the accident
• Physical pain and suffering resulting from the injuries
• Loss of enjoyment of life caused by any disability
• Loss of consortium damages for a spouse or any family members

Non-economic damages could be calculated using a few different methods. Typically, a crash victim and their attorney will use a “multiplier method.” This means that all of the economic damages in the case will be added up and then multiplied by a certain number to reach the non-economic damage total. For example, if an individual sustains $200,000 worth of medical bills and property damage expenses, an attorney could use a multiplier of “3” to reach a non-economic total of $600,000.

An attorney could also assign a dollar value to each day an individual is expected to experience pain and suffering losses caused by the accident. This is called the “per diem method.” For example, if it is expected to take one year for an individual to recover, a dollar value of $400 could be assigned to each day, for a non-economic total of $146,000 (365 days multiplied by $400).

In rare cases, punitive damages may be awarded. These damages are meant to punish the at-fault party and send a signal to others that the type of behavior seen in the case is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Punitive damages are typically reserved for cases where the actions of the at-fault party were grossly negligent or intentional.

Contact an Attorney

If you or somebody you care about has sustained an injury caused by the actions of another driver in Colorado, reach out to an attorney immediately. A Denver car accident lawyer can use their resources to conduct a full investigation into the claim, obtain any evidence needed to prove liability, and vigorously negotiate with insurance carriers to recover total compensation for their clients.