FAQ – Ask a Personal Injury Attorney/Lawyer: What Are Economic Damages?

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Our Colorado automobile accident lawyers and Denver personal injury attorneys serve the needs of personal injury victims and families with wrongful death claims in Denver, Front Range and Western Slope communities including Aurora, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock, Boulder, Littleton, Greenwood Village, Monument, Parker, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Pueblo, Thornton, Brighton, Federal Heights, Broomfield, the Denver Tech Center, Adams County, Broomfield County, Douglas County, Arapahoe County, Jefferson County, Boulder County and Denver County. Our car accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers will represent clients outside of the Denver Metro area and throughout Colorado at no additional charge. We may be reached toll free at 1-888-QUIK-LAW (888-784-5529).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Legal Terms: What are Economic Damages?

Economic damages are best viewed as monetary losses or "out of pocket expenses." Most cases have at least three types of economic damage. Property damage, medical bills and wage loss. In Colorado, property damage is often paid for up front by an insurance company in an automobile accident case. In motor vehicle collision cases, the primary property damage occurs to the car itself. However, other property damage may include items being transported in a car and even clothing which is often cut off by paramedics. It is not unusual these days to have a laptop computer, radar detector, an I-pod or other high tech device included as part of property damage. Usually, insurance carriers will pay for a rental car under the property damage coverage in Colorado whether there is an automobile accident in Denver, Grand Junction or Durango. If you need assistance with a property damage claim, the injury lawyers at Norton Law Offices, P.C. can help. If a lawsuit is not necessary on the issue, the injury attorneys at Norton Law Offices, P.C. usually help their clients with property damage claims free of charge. You are welcome to call for free advice about how to recover money for the damage to your car even if you are not injured or pursuing a personal injury claim.

Although property damage to a car is one of the first things people want help with, the most significant economic claims are usually medical bills and wage loss. It is not unusual for bills following an automobile crash to exceed $2,000.00 from the ambulance and emergency room alone. In more serious car accident cases, bills are often in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands by the time treatment is complete. Some attorneys advertise that they will get you "as much as they can, as fast as they can" or that their "strong arm" will get you a quick and easy settlement. At Norton Law Offices, P.C. our Colorado injury lawyers understand that clients often need money quickly because of injuries sustained due to another's negligence whether it be from an automobile accident, semi-truck collision, slip-and-fall, or other negligence. Because future medical expenses are often much greater than past medical bills as a result of an injury we recommend that, before settling a personal injury claim, clients know what their future care needs include and the costs of those needs. We can make our recommendations but ultimately "we work for you", you are the boss and we will listen to your goals and needs. Whether you need to settle quickly or have time to complete your care, our Colorado injury attorneys will attempt to get what you deserve for both past and future medical bills related to an automobile accident or other negligence.

When the victim of a negligent driver sustains injuries in a car crash, it is not uncommon for the injured party to need time off of work. Under prior no-fault laws, people injured in motor vehicle accidents could receive some wage loss reimbursement. However, Colorado's no-fault law went away in 2003. Since that time, injured workers have to look to other sources for reimbursement of wage loss. Unfortunately, it is rare to find an insurance company in Colorado willing to give an advance. Thus, if you have to take time off of work, it may be necessary to use up sick pay, vacation time or personal days to offset possible wage loss. If you use these benefits, under Colorado law, you are still entitled to wage reimbursement from the negligent driver or his insurance company - - it just may be that you will have to wait until the case is resolved. Other possible sources of reimbursement for car accident victims in Colorado include criminal restitution, victim's compensation and, possibly, even loans on a personal injury claim (although injury loans are discouraged due to the extremely high interest rates).

Other economic damages that our Colorado injury attorneys pursue include things such as household services for assistance around the home, lost earning capacity, home based medical assistance, durable medical goods, transportation costs, lost business opportunity, the cost of replacement workers for self-employed persons, etc. The potential list of economic losses due to injuries sustained in an accident can go on-and-on. Although our injury law firm is based in Denver, Colorado, we can represent motor vehicle accident victims and other personal injury clients anywhere in Colorado including the Western Slope, Grand Junction, Steamboat, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Durango, Ft. Collins and Greeley. Our practice is NOT limited to car crashes in Colorado. Our personal injury attorneys have handled a variety of cases throughout Colorado. Simply due to the number of collisions, the majority of our clients are car accident victims (both wrongful death and injury cases) in the Denver, CO metro area (including Boulder, Castle Rock, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Golden, Aurora, Thornton, Brighton, Englewood, Denver and other metro cities). However, we have also handled a variety of cases throughout Colorado including premises liability (slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall), wrongful death, malpractice, general negligence, and even dog bite cases.

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