As people grow older, they start to imagine what their lives might look like in retirement. Plans to travel, enjoy hobbies that could never be explored before, being more active socially, and spending time with family and friends become part of the picture. Sadly, there is also another aspect of this picture that is part of life for people as they age: vision and hearing decline and falls tend to be more frequent. All of this with painful and sometimes long-lasting consequences.
Why are personal injury lawsuits different for seniors?
There are several factors that may have bearing on how much a senior can expect to recover from a personal injury lawsuit. Among them:
Loss of Earnings
In the majority of personal injury lawsuits, the injured victim can claim loss of earnings since they are unable to return to work temporarily or, in some cases, permanently. If you are a senior and have retired, there is no point in arguing that you are losing income.
Medical Expenses
Arguing that you have medical expenses when your bills are being covered by Medicare is also not going to get you extremely far.
Future Medical Care or Expenses
The defendant knows that there is a shorter life-expectancy in these cases. This means that future medical needs are shorter as well.
How can a personal injury lawyer help you if you are a senior?
In these cases, the focus of the claim has to shift dramatically and concentrate on other aspects that may have been affected such as:
- Physical pain
- Mental suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement
- Inconvenience
- Grief
- Anxiety
- Physical impairment
- Humiliation
- Emotional distress
Building a Strong Case
Once your personal injury lawyer understands the ways in which your life has changed since the accident, the case can be presented to the jury much more effectively while explaining every crucial detail.
When you research and visit the expert’s URL here, you see how the lawyer conveys to the judge the difference in your life prior to the accident and after it. It will fall upon your lawyer to convey to the judge the difference in your life prior to the accident and after it. Your lawyer may ask you to put together pictures, videos scrapbooks, letters, and anything else that will paint the bright picture of your life up to that point. The emotional impact of this evidence on the jurors can make a significant difference in the verdict.
Once the previous way your life developed has been established, your personal injury lawyer will shift to explaining what happened during the accident and ever since. X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and other medical tests can be presented and, if necessary, a medical expert can be called upon to further explain the impact of your injuries on your life.
Even if you have a preexisting condition, your attorney can prove that it has been made much worse since the accident, providing this is the case. If successful, you may get damages to cover the aggravation of the preexisting condition.
You Need the Right Legal Help
As you have gathered, it is vital to be able to build a strong case to get the damages you deserve. That is why it is so important to work with a lawyer that can understand the sense of urgency and get your case to court fast. A knowledgeable and aggressive lawyer is precisely what you need now. Click here to find out more about Personal Injury Lawyers Jacksonville.
Senior Outlook Today is your go-to source for information, inspiration, and connection as you navigate the later years of life. Our team of experts and writers is dedicated to providing relevant and engaging content for seniors, covering topics such as health and wellness, finances, technology and travel.