As a vehicle passenger, you trust the drivers and others on the road to ensure you reach your destination safely. Fortunately, if you suffered injuries due to someone else’s negligence, you have rights and options for seeking compensation through a car accident claim. However, it is not always a straightforward process. It is imperative to work with an award-winning car accident lawyer to ensure you obtain a successful outcome.
Car accidents result in pain and suffering, physical limitations, medical expenses, lost wages, and other financial losses. At Waterman Law Centers, PLLC, we help you seek the compensation you deserve by handling all aspects of your claim while you focus on recovery. With 40 years of award-winning service, we have helped many injured victims in Williamsburg and surrounding areas calculate the full extent of his or her losses and pursue the justice he or she deserves.
Compensation Passengers Recover in a Successful Car Accident Claim
When a car accident occurs, it is not only the driver who suffers the consequences. Passengers involved in a collision often sustain injuries as well. In a successful car accident claim, the following damages are recoverable:
- Hospital bills: Costs associated with emergency room visits, surgeries, and overnight stays are recoverable by passengers. Additionally, physical therapy sessions or other forms of rehabilitation are recovered in a successful claim by passengers.
- Medications and medical supplies: Compensation for prescription drugs, rehabilitation equipment, and other necessary supplies are recovered in a successful claim by passengers.
- Pain, suffering, and inconvenience: Passengers endure physical and emotional pain and suffering in the aftermath of a car accident. Factors that influence pain and suffering damages include the severity of injuries, duration of recovery, and long-term impact on your life. All of this is recoverable.
- Lost wages: If injuries sustained in the collision prevent a passenger from working, he or she is able to seek compensation for lost wages, including income he or she would have earned had he or she not been injured.
- Scarring and disfigurement: In cases where car accidents result in scarring or disfigurement, passengers have legal options to pursue compensation for the physical and emotional impact of these injuries. Scarring and disfigurement have a profound and lasting effect on a victim’s quality of life.
- Continuing disability and limitations: If a collision leaves a passenger with a disability, he or she is able to obtain compensation for the inconveniences and the additional costs associated with the disability, including mobility aids, home modifications, and ongoing medical care.
- Mental anguish: This includes emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder “PTSD” caused by the collision. Passengers can recover all of these too.
To increase your probability of a successful outcome, it is in your best interest to consult with the experienced car accident lawyer at Waterman Law Centers, PLLC. We will guide you through the legal process and aggressively advocate for the full extent of the compensation you deserve.
What Legal Options Does a Passenger in a Car Accident Have?
Passengers who have suffered injuries in a car accident have several legal options to pursue compensation for damages, including the following:
- Make a claim against the at-fault driver: In Virginia, the driver who caused the accident is responsible for compensating passengers for injuries sustained in the collision. In this case, your lawyer will file a claim with the offending driver’s insurance company, whether it is the driver of the vehicle you were in and/or the driver of the other offending vehicle.
- Make a claim against both drivers: If both drivers are at fault, each party is partially responsible for your injuries. In this case, your lawyer must file a claim with both insurance companies.
- Make a claim against another third party: It is possible that a third party other than a driver is responsible for your injuries, such as a mechanic or vehicle manufacturer, for defective or faulty car parts that contributed to the accident.
Speak with the award-winning lawyer at Waterman Law Centers, PLLC, to understand your best legal options for recovering compensation as a passenger in a car accident.
Speak With the Award-Winning Car Accident Lawyer at Waterman Law Centers, PLLC
In the aftermath of a car accident, passengers who have suffered injuries have a range of legal options to pursue compensation. Due to the complexity of car accident claims, it is imperative to speak with the award-winning car accident lawyer at Waterman Law Centers, PLLC. Attorney Avery T. “Sandy” Waterman, Jr., Esq. was named to The Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury during 2007-2024 and was voted its “Lawyer of the Year” for Personal Injury by his peers in Southeast Virginia in 2022; and Waterman Law Centers has been listed as a Metropolitan Tier 1 Best Law Firm for Personal Injury in U.S. News & World Report for 2021-2023.
Schedule a no-cost consultation by calling (757) 881-9881 or filling out a contact form.
