A car accident can harm you in two ways. It can cause personal injury as well as property damage. As a car accident victim, you must understand the difference between the two before filing your claim.
The term “property damage” refers to any damage occurring to personal or real property. Personal properties are movable properties. Examples include clothing, jewelry, artifacts, vehicles, appliances, etc. Real properties, on the other hand, are fixed properties. Examples include buildings and lands. Personal injury occurs when the accident causes an injury to your body, mind, and/or emotions.
Almost every car accident (even the minor ones) causes some kind of damage to the victim’s properties. You will suffer from both property damage and personal injury only if it’s a severe accident. The section below would educate you about the difference between property damage and personal injury claims.
What Can A Property Damage Claim Include?
You should file a property damage claim for covering damages caused to your personal properties due to an automobile accident. Examples of such damages include replacement or repair of the car and repair of damaged parts of the car. You may file a claim to cover damages caused both to objects inside and outside your car. The claim can even cover things like expenses for a rental car and towing costs.
If the accident caused injuries to your pet and you were not at fault, your property damage liability claim may include the vet’s bills. Things might be a bit easier for you if you have a collision damage policy. However, if you hire a competent Lebanon car accident attorney, getting approval for your claims in Oregon will not be too difficult for you.
What Can A Personal Injury Claim Include?
A personal injury claim would cover any physical injury you or any other occupant of the car developed due to the accident. Here, you must note that this claim type would not cover the injury or death of your pet due to the accident.
Your personal injury claim may include but is not limited to the following:
- Death
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring or permanent injuries
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
If your driver was at fault for causing the accident but doesn’t have an insurance cover, you can include his claim into yours. However, for that, your insurance policy must have underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage.
Does A Car Accident Lawyer Handle Both Personal Injury And Property Damage Claims?
A top Lebanon car accident attorney would be competent enough to handle both personal injury and property damage claims successfully. However, you must remember that getting compensation for property damage is not as difficult as obtaining adequate compensation for personal injury. That’s possibly because the claim amount for property damage typically doesn’t go above two thousand dollars. The claim amount for personal injuries, on the other hand, can be really hefty. The amount tends to be maximum when a victim dies or becomes disabled due to a permanent injury. An attorney is the best person to decide your claim amount and then do the needful to win it for you.