One of the more vulnerable areas where you can suffer an injury during a car accident is your hands. If the impact occurs while you hold the steering wheel or as you brace yourself, you may suffer major sprains, broken bones, or possible lacerations.
While the hands may serve as just a small part of a larger personal injury case, you could suffer major impacts due to the damages. Learn how your healing hand injuries could have a direct impact on personal injury cases.
1. A Diminished Quality of Life
A major injury to your dominant hand can result in a lot of lifestyle changes. One of the biggest pieces of evidence a lawyer can present in a personal injury case is your quality of life.
For example, you may not be able to cook as well at home without the use of your dominant hand. Also consider daily tasks like doing the dishes, writing, getting dressed, and hobbies like sewing.
As you adjust to your dominant hand injuries, type out a list of daily changes that have occurred. A lawyer may also seek out the emotional changes that have gone along with the physical ones. The more details you give in the statement, the more of an impact the information can have on the case.
2. A Loss of Income
A hand injury may lead to an inability to work efficiently. In almost every form of work, you will need the full function of your hands. For example, if you work in retail, you could run into problems operating a cash register, handling money, and placing items inside of the bag.
An office job may include troubles typing and filling out paperwork. And there are countless physical jobs where tasks are nearly impossible with major hand injuries. In many cases, you will have to take time off of work to heal and the loss of income will be a huge factor in your personal injury case.
Lawyers will use pay stubs to showcase your time missed at work and seek compensation for the time lost. Lawyers will also include the loss of possible overtime, holiday pay, and any vacation time you used after the accident.
In some severe cases, your hand injuries may force you to resign from your job. In those situations, lawyers can calculate and determine annual losses over extended periods of time. The calculations may include possible raises or the overall trajectory of your career.
3. Payments for Medical Equipment
You may need special medical equipment to help with the support and pain in your hands. You may need to wear special splints that support the hand and do not just let fingers hang freely. The splints will keep your hand secure and allow you to regain strength as bones and tendons heal.
Some specialty splints may also include pressure balls so you can squeeze the balls, keep your hand in motion, and rebuild the hand strength you once had. When you have to pay for the medical costs and any follow-up appointments, a lawyer will seek compensation.
In some cases, you may have multiple rehab appointments where you learn how to properly use splints and let your hands heal in the correct way. All of the medical costs quickly add up and a lawyer will help you seek out compensation for the appointments and out of pocket costs you had.
4. Costs of Alternative Transportation
Hand injuries could lead to problems operating a vehicle. You may not have the full strength to grip the steering wheel. Small tasks like operating the windshield wipers or turning on the blinker could bring challenges and additional pain.
You may have to rely on rideshare services to reach destinations. You may rely on public transportation like a city bus. The costs are on top of the current car payments and insurance you are already paying. You also may not have access to any other driving alternatives and find yourself stuck at home.
No matter what the scenario is, your quality of life and the money your spend on transportation will drastically change. Weekly details of the changes could be used as evidence in your case. A lawyer will piece together the details to present your case and hold the at-fault party liable for your major losses. Along with current costs, a lawyer will estimate future losses.
While it’s hard to calculate an exact number amount of the losses you’ve suffered, a lawyer will piece together the evidence and also use your emotional journey as part of the evidence. A lawyer may also compare your case to other hand injuries and have a better overview of the injury impact for longer periods of time.
Contact us at Garrison Law Firm to move forward with your personal injury case. We will represent you, guide you through the various stages of the process, and help you get the compensation you deserve for your hand injuries and the impacts the injuries have caused.