What Compensation Can a McAllen Motor Vehicle Defects Attorney Recover?
There are several misconceptions about personal injury claims, and one of the most common is that they are driven by greed. But pursuing compensation is just as much about seeking justice, accountability, and preventing similar accidents from happening to others. Holding a massive corporation responsible in an auto defect claim can be rewarding, and alerting them to an issue or fault potentially affecting millions could save lives.
But we mustn’t ignore the massive financial benefit of a successful auto defect claim.
Auto defects can cause minor, severe, or even fatal injuries.
One of the most common injuries sustained in defective motor vehicle crashes — and car accidents more widely — is whiplash. Whiplash happens from a sudden jolt during a collision and can cause severe neck and back pain, as well as other complications such as headaches and dizziness.
Similarly, many injury victims suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in auto defect accidents. Whether brakes fail and cause a head-on collision or an abrupt engine cut-out results in a car rear-ending your vehicle, the impact can cause the brain to bounce forward and back. Brain injuries can range from a concussion to life-changing cognitive impairment and disability.
Other injuries commonly sustained in auto defect crashes include broken bones, spinal cord injuries, lacerations, and internal injuries.
Treatment for such injuries can be lengthy and expensive. Some individuals must adapt and manage their condition for the rest of their lives.
An auto defect claim compensates victims for their past and future medical care — including medication, surgery, physical therapy, and rehabilitation — lost wages, diminished earning capacity, and home adaptations, relieving a massive financial burden they might otherwise struggle to carry.
A victim can also recover non-economic damages to compensate them for their pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment, and loss of companionship or consortium.
An individual left paralyzed by a spinal cord injury might not only be unable to work again and need lifelong physical care, but they will likely also suffer significant emotional distress because of a loss of independence and self-esteem, affecting their relationship with their spouse or ability to form new relationships.
A person who has lost a loved one in an accident caused by an auto defect must deal with a profound loss of companionship, guidance, and support, worsened by the fact the defect could have been identified earlier and the crash prevented. Beyond their immediate grief, they may struggle if their spouse or loved one was the primary breadwinner. No sum of money can fill the irreplaceable void in the family unit, but compensation can relieve the financial strain.
A claim, then, is far from “just about the money” and much more about recovering the compensation owed for the devastating injuries they have sustained and the impact of those injuries on their life or family.
