A car accident is terrible enough when it happens to you or a family member, but when it leaves permanent scars as a reminder, it can be emotional as well as physical. The scars left behind from your accident represent something more than just a mark on your body, but possibly a tragic experience that you have undergone and continue to suffer from.
If this sounds like something that you have experienced recently, you may be able to receive compensation for the permanent scars that you have been left with after a car accident. There are a few things that factor into how much payment you are able to receive. Let’s look at the details that go into successfully obtaining compensation for permanent scars after a car accident.
What Types of Scars Can Occur After a Car Crash?
All our bodies respond differently to injuries and how they heal. One person could have the same injury and barely end up with a thin scar, while others could have a huge scar or mark left behind after healing. Some of the most common scars that may be considered for compensation in a lawsuit include:
- Keloid Scars – These types of scars are thick and raised and usually form at the site of a skin injury. Keloids don’t always form right away and can show up even years after an injury. They are typically found on the earlobes, shoulders, cheeks, or chest area. Keloids can be treated to lessen their appearance, but there is a chance that they could reoccur.
- Hypertrophic Scarring – Hypertrophic scarring appears reddish in color after an injury and is thick and raised, just like any typical scar. This type of scar seems to improve with treatment and can fade a little over time.
- Contractures – This is probably the most disfiguring type of scarring that happens after a traumatic injury or burn. As the skin heals, a contracture tightens and thickens, and the skin is hard to bend. Because of this, contractures even have to potential to decrease the victim’s function and movement, especially if it forms over a joint. This can really limit the ability to work and get around to performing daily tasks.
It’s common to have more than just one kind of scar if your injuries are extensive. Remember, scars can’t be removed completely with treatment, only minimized in appearance. All scars are a permanent reminder and result of another person’s negligence.
What Compensation Can Victims Seek for Permanent Scars?
While compensation for permanent scars can be received, the type of scar, severity, and location of the scar are key factors as to how much that compensation will be. A few of the most common categories of compensation include:
1. Medical costs – There may be medical costs incurred immediately after the car accident, but there could be treatment needed far beyond the original accident. Some of the medical therapy and treatments may include steroid injections, cryotherapy, laser procedures, skin grafts, radiation, pressure therapy, surgery, and more.
Facial scars, as you may imagine, will be more expensive. Medical costs could skyrocket quickly as a plastic surgeon will need to treat the delicate areas of the face and neck.
2. Lost wages from missed work for treatment – Scar treatment takes time, and you may have to miss work to take care of yourself appropriately.
Depending on the kind of scar you suffer from, you may also lack the mobility and ability to complete your required tasks at work now and in the future.
3. Pain and Suffering or other non-economic damages – These types of damages are a kind of acknowledgment that you have gone through terrible suffering and pain – not only physically but emotionally and that it has and will continue to affect your life.
Under the non-economic damage category, you may receive compensation for not only pain, suffering, and emotional distress but also inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, and reduced earning ability.
No one should have to go through the pain and suffering, medical costs, or lost wages resulting from a car accident. When the car accident was because of another’s carelessness, you should not have to pay for the expensive aftermath.
Anxiety, Depression, and Potential Compensation
Did you know that if you find yourself struggling with new or increased anxiety, depression, or other mental health problems after your scars develop, you can hold the negligent party responsible for paying for treatment? Treatment may include things like:
- Medication to treat mental health (anti-anxiety meds, antidepressants)
- Counseling costs
Talk to your legal team about any mental health issues you might be experiencing because of your permanent scars. You are entitled to receive help for these things, and your attorney will aid you in obtaining it.
Do You Really Need a Legal Team?
The opposing party in your lawsuit will have an attorney or team of attorneys working hard to dispute your case. They will use claims like “that scar is simply cosmetic and doesn’t affect daily life.” You know better, and you deserve better than that. You deserve someone that knows the ins and outs of such legal cases and is ready to represent you with their extensive knowledge and experience.
At Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer, L.L.C., our attorney team has years of experience advocating for our clients that suffer from permanent scars after a car accident that occurred because of the negligence of another party. While many injuries take months and even years to recover from, many scars do not fade, and the disfigurement that takes place for many is life-changing.
You deserve compensation for your suffering if you have suffered from permanent scars after a car accident. While no compensation can change the things that have happened, it can help you receive the medical treatment you need to move on. Give Gainsburgh, Benjamin, David, Meunier & Warshauer, L.L.C. a call at (504) 522-2304 to learn more about how we can help.
