It is a painstaking task to calculate the average settlement for a car accident in Cincinnati, as several factors come to play when deciding the amount. You cannot just assume that you will get a fixed amount for your accident. One incident might lead to a higher settlement, while others may have to settle for a meager amount. The best thing is to consult a Cincinnati auto accident attorney as soon as the accident occurs. This will save a lot of your time and money.
Factors leading to a car accident
The Ohio Department of Public Safety claims more than three hundred thousand car accidents in a particular year. The drivers were held responsible for a whopping 87 percent of these accidents. In Ohio, the factors leading to car accidents include running a red light or stop sign, following too closely, failure to yield improper turns, and speeding.
What can you expect to recover from a car accident in Cincinnati?
If you are not aware, let us tell you that you can recover any damages once you have had an accident in Cincinnati. Apart from the medical bills and the missed wages, which are obvious, you can also recover any money you had to spend to tend to your injuries caused by accident.
And this is not just restricted to your physical injuries but also the pain and suffering you had to go through. You can ask for a compensation amount for the injuries you currently have and the future expenses of these injuries.
You can demand compensation for the following:
- Loss of earning capacity, loss of salary, loss of promotion
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, and other mental issues that popped up due to the accident
- Medical expenses, emergency care, medical devices, surgeries, hospitalization expenses, prescriptions, follow-ups, and other treatments
- The costs of hiring people who help you do the daily chores you are unable to do after the accident
- Transportation expenses for your medical appointments
- Counseling and mental health treatment
- Long-term disability and expenses incurred due to the renovation of your house or car to accommodate your disability
- The accident’s after-effects on your career, relationships, family, and sense of well being
How much can be the average settlement?
According to the comparative law of Ohio, the victim can still ask for compensation even if he is partly responsible for the accident. Under this law, the settlement amount decreases if you are more at fault. For example, if you were 5% responsible for the accident, you would not get the full damage amount but 95% of it. Remember that if you were 51% (or more) responsible for the accident, you would get no compensation.
A car accident lawyer highlights the other driver’s fault while saving your face to get as much compensation as possible. He will fight till you get the maximum possible amount. A lawyer is the best person who can collect evidence, make up the case, and talk to the insurance companies on your behalf. Without his help, it will be difficult to navigate through these steps while you are still recovering from the injuries.
What if the other driver was uninsured?
It can be frustrating if you have a car crash and find out later that the other driver is uninsured or underinsured. In that case, you naturally think about who will pay for your damages. Under the state rules, you should be able to recover the property damage and the expenses for injuries caused by accident. When the accident is severe, you cannot be satisfied with the minimum amount you might get.
The solution here is to recover the money from the other driver because he is liable to pay you. At this point, your chances of receiving a good amount or what you deserve depends on how much money the driver has. In such cases, you can consult your insurance company to know how much you can manage to get. Some policies prove beneficial only if you are at fault. There are some which are no-fault policies that are better because you will anyway get the compensation irrespective of who is responsible.
Do I really need a lawyer by my side?
A lot depends on how you fight the case. The presence of a lawyer can move your case in a positive direction when the lawyer will do all the talking while you are still recovering from the accident injuries. The car accident attorneys are experts who have been involved in many similar cases to have gained the expertise to know what step to take.
A good lawyer will do all the groundwork efficiently and take the case to a different level than you imagined. So hire a lawyer before talking to the insurance companies or the other driver so that you know what to reveal and what not.
If you are concerned about the cost of hiring an attorney to help you with the claim, then there is good news. Most law firms have attorneys who accept only contingency fees. This means that you don’t have to pay the fees immediately after hiring. The law firm will temporarily bear all your costs. You will have to pay back only if you win the case and not otherwise.
Most firms levy a fee that is a certain percentage of your settlement amount. The settlement amount usually increases when you have an attorney appointed, and it becomes easy to pay the lawyer fees. You may have to pay some small fees like that for document filing and the like. But you don’t have to worry about anything else as it will be completely taken care of by the attorney.
When you meet the attorney, remember to take all the important documents like the accident report, repair estimates, medical reports, insurance quotes etc. Being well prepared to fight your case goes a long way in deciding how much you can get as a settlement.
Speaking to a car accident attorney in Cincinnati is just a matter of dialing the number and having a word with them. There is more to be happy about because most lawyers do not take a penny for the first consultation. So seize the opportunity and contact a personal injury attorney in Cincinnati, OH, immediately after the accident. This will ensure that you get the maximum possible settlement amount you deserve.
