Being injured in a West Virginia car accident can leave you in a difficult position, as you might find yourself paying for a variety of expenses that are prevalent in car accident cases. After you receive reimbursement from the other party’s insurance company when you find them to be at fault for your injuries, you are expected to pay many types of damages on your own. One of the areas of compensation that many people overlook is the out-of-pocket expenses.
What Types of Out-of-Pocket Expenses Should I Expect?
Out-of-pocket expenses are essentially any types of expenses that arise from the injuries that stemmed from your accident. These expenses can range anywhere from a few dollars to thousands of dollars and can make it difficult to move forward after an accident. Until you achieve a settlement or go to court with the other party, you will be left to figure out out-of-pocket expenses on your own, which can put some parties in a difficult situation, as not everybody has money to take care of these expenses on their own. You will, instead, be “reimbursed” by the other party after settlement.
Not all expenses will be reimbursed to you. For instance, you might have had to travel for some of your treatment. You might be reimbursed for the actual treatment but perhaps might never see the reimbursement for the cost of traveling to get to your appointments. There are many types of out-of-pocket expenses that might be reasonable, such as prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, medical equipment like crutches and wheelchairs, and the cost of staying in a hotel when you have to stay overnight for treatment. Of course, there are many more than just those mentioned.
Proving Your Out-of-Pocket Expenses After Your Accident
When you want to receive compensation for your out-of-pocket expenses, it is essential that you actually have evidence showing that you have received these expenses. It is a known “golden rule” that you should always save all receipts and documentation that are related to your expenses so that you have proof of out-of-pocket expenses and can show this in a claim later on down the road. Here’s an example: if you have to use an expensive prescription drug-related to the treatment of your injury, you can prove that you had this expense by showing pharmacy records to the courts.
You should always track all of your expenses and make sure that none of them are missed by keeping a list of every expense that you come along in your treatment. It is easy to forget what we have been through when the treatment is fast-paced. One of the easiest ways to do this is to keep an Excel or Word document, as well as a journal, that includes the expense, the date, and the amount that it cost to receive that expense.
Speaking with a West Virginia Personal Injury Attorney
Moving forward with a personal injury claim might be one of the most difficult decisions that you have to make following a serious car accident in West Virginia. Luckily for you, our skilled legal advocates at Katz, Kantor, Stonestreet & Buckner want you to know that you have many rights to compensation under the law and we are here for you to protect your rights in many ways. Contact us for more information on how we can assist you at (304) 713-2014. Do not go without the help you deserve following an accident.
