When you suffer an injury due to someone else’s actions, you may have a legal claim against them through which you can pursue compensation for your economic and non-economic losses. Such payments are meant to place the financial burden of your injuries on the at-fault party as opposed to leaving it on your shoulders as you recover.
Out-of-pocket expenses, however, can be particularly burdensome, eroding your financial resources even when you work to delay payment of your bills until after your personal injury settlement.
What Are Out-Of-Pocket Expenses?
Out-of-pocket expenses are a type of economic damage. They represent the costs you incur as a result of your crash. Some of these may arise due to the injuries you sustain, while others add up because of property damage.
For example, if someone hits your vehicle in a car accident, you may have to pay a taxi to pick you up at the crash scene. Similarly, you may have to pay for new glasses after you break them in a slip and fall accident. In any case, the expenses you deal with must meet three criteria to qualify for inclusion in your accident claim.
First, they must be caused by the other person’s negligent or wrongful conduct. To establish causation, your lawyer must show that your injuries were a natural and foreseeable result of the other party’s actions. The other party does not need to foresee your exact injuries, but their actions must be dangerous enough to be linked to your injuries.
Second, the expenses must be reasonable. In other words, they must be proportional to the injuries you suffered. If you overpay for something, the cost might have been “unreasonable.”
Third, the expense must be necessary. “Necessary” does not mean you would have died without it. Instead, it means it was related to the injuries you suffered. The cost of renting a wheelchair may have been “necessary” after you broke your leg in a car accident, even though you would have survived without it.
Examples Of Out-Of-Pocket Costs
Out-of-pocket expenses can fall into several categories, including the following:
Expenses For Accessing Medical Care
If you do not have health insurance or if you have a high deductible, your doctor’s bills probably qualify as out-of-pocket expenses. If you have health coverage, your copayments for reasonable and necessary treatment, therapy, and medication qualify as out-of-pocket costs as well.
You can also include any costs you spend on medical supplies. Amounts you spend on bandages, a sling, or crutches will typically qualify.
Renting a hospital bed or wheelchair represents a more extensive cost that may also be eligible in a claim as long as you can meet the reasonable and necessary requirements. You will usually use your doctor’s instructions to document your needs.
Finally, you can often include travel expenses if you cannot obtain adequate care locally. The cost of airfare, fuel, or rideshares, as well as for parking, hotels, and car rentals, may qualify as out-of-pocket expenses if you were referred to a medical provider that required long-distance travel.
Replacement Services Expenses
If your injuries prevent you from performing household tasks, you may need to pay someone else to provide services for you. Examples of such services include the following:
- Childcare
- Cleaning
- Home repair
- Cooking
- Shopping
- Driving
These temporary replacement services must meet the tests for out-of-pocket expenses. For example, if you had a daycare provider before your accident, you might not be able to show that the cost of keeping them around is something directly “caused” by your injuries.
Accommodations Expenses
You might need to modify your home or vehicle to accommodate long-term disabilities resulting from your injuries. These modifications may include things like:
- Vehicle hand controls
- Shower and toilet hand bars
- Wheelchair ramps
Your ability to justify these costs will likely depend on the extent of your injuries.
How A Lawyer Helps With Your Claim For Out-Of-Pocket Costs
When you hire a lawyer, they will evaluate the compensation you can recover in your case. They will include all your losses, including out-of-pocket expenses, when assessing the value of your case.
Your lawyer will also explain how you should document your costs so they can be submitted with your claim. You will typically need financial records, such as bank statements, receipts, and bills, to prove the amounts you paid out of pocket for your injuries.
Learn More From A Lawyer
Out-of-pocket losses can make up a large portion of your injury claim. But the problem is that they are often overlooked, as many people pay for them without properly documenting them. Contact a lawyer to learn more about out-of-pocket expenses and how to recover them in a personal injury claim.
Contact the Alabama Personal Injury Attorneys at Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers. Call us at (205) 206-5088
Contact an experienced personal injury lawyer at Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation today. We serve Shelby County, Madison County, Montgomery County in Alabama, and its surrounding areas.
We are located in Birmingham, Huntsville & Montgomery.
Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers – Birmingham Office
880 Montclair Road, Ste 300,
Birmingham, AL 35213
(205) 206-5088
Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers – Huntsville Office
116 Jefferson St. Suite 209
Hunstville, AL, 35801
(256) 666-4660
Belt, Bruner & Barnett Personal Injury Lawyers – Montgomery Office
7 Clayton St, Suite 200,
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 513-2110