No Alabama driver expects to get into a car accident, but that doesn’t mean these events will not have life-altering consequences for those who are involved in them. Even though most car accidents are nothing more than fender-benders and passengers and drivers walk away uninjured, a serious car accident can mean serious injuries, death and massive financial costs.

Since there is no way to truly make another individual whole after he or she has been seriously hurt in a car crash caused by another person’s negligence, the Alabama legal system does the second-best thing. It strives to make car accident victims financially whole by holding the at-fault driver responsible to pay for his or her medical bills, property damage and other damages caused by the accident.

In some cases, damages are relatively easy to estimate and place a financial figure on. For example, lost wages and lost future wages that are the result of a victim becoming disabled from the accident and unable to work can be calculated. An experienced financial expert can provide reasonable arguments to the court that show the estimated future earnings of a disabled or deceased person for the purpose of calculating a judgment award in a personal injury or wrongful death crash.

In other cases, damages are not so easy to estimate — like pain and suffering, disfigurement, lost family relationship, emotional turmoil and punitive damages intended to punish a grossly negligent and/or unlawful driver. In these situations, plaintiffs will need to rely on various legal theories as they struggle to put a monetary number on damages for which no amount of money can ever truly correct.

Personal injury and wrongful death claims relating to car accidents require legal expertise to navigate, which is why most Alabama car accident plaintiffs get help from a qualified legal counselor. An experienced lawyer can evaluate the potential of a case and determine the most appropriate strategies to employ on behalf of his or her client.