Injuries are sometimes quite severe and may lead to long-term complications and medical needs. In many cases, plaintiffs continue to incur medical costs long after their civil lawsuit is complete. As such, you can claim the costs of future medical needs, and our legal team will help you.
Whatever your future medical costs might be, they should be reasonably anticipated. Put another way, we must prove how these costs are probable, not just possible. Numerous factors will help us determine the value of these damages. We may need your medical records, testimony from medical experts, and even economic information to determine the amount of compensation necessary to cover the costs of future medical care.
Call our Chicago, IL personal injury attorneys with the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502 to get a free, confidential review of your case.
Calculating The Costs of Future Medical Needs
Medical bills are a huge part of many personal injury cases. Many plaintiffs have medical needs that extend past the end of a lawsuit, and they may include claims for future medical costs in their cases.
When calculating claims for future medical care, plaintiffs typically consider reasonably anticipated future medical treatments and procedures. If certain forms of treatment are common and reasonably expected as part of your medical care, we should include their anticipated costs. If procedures are possible but unlikely, they are unlikely to be included.
Another important factor to consider is the duration of medical care and the plaintiff’s life expectancy. Some plaintiffs are so badly hurt that they will need medical care for the rest of their lives. As such, it may be necessary to determine how long the plaintiff is expected to live. This can be an uncomfortable topic to discuss with your attorney, but it might be necessary.
How to Prove Calculations for Future Medical Expenses in Illinois
Calculating future medical costs is tricky because we can never predict with 100% certainty what the future holds. Even so, to prove these damages, our Illinois personal injury attorneys must show how your future medical needs are probable, not merely possible.
Your medical records will likely be necessary to help us prove your claims for future medical expenses. Your records may reveal the current state of your health and contain information about how your condition is expected to progress over time.
In some cases, expert testimony may be important to explain to a jury why your injuries will need medical care in the future. Treating physicians and independent medical experts may review your records and conduct evaluations to determine whether you will need care in the future and for how long.
We may also use proof of real costs for procedures you currently need to help us support claims for reasonably expected future medical costs. Not only that, but medical care is likely to become even more expensive in the future.
Is There a Limit on Damages for Future Medical Expenses in Illinois?
Calculating damages for future medical costs can be challenging, but the bright side is that these damages are generally not limited by law. As long as we can prove our calculations are correct, there is no statutory limit to damages for future medical costs. These damages may be as high as necessary.
In many cases, these damages are quite substantial. If an injured plaintiff can expect many years or even a lifetime of medical treatment because of their injuries, the defendant should be made to cover those damages.
The Link Between Your Injuries and Future Medical Care
To support your claims for future medical expenses, we must demonstrate how your future costs are directly related to the current injuries the defendant caused. Future medical procedures unrelated to your injuries may not be covered.
This is often straightforward, but it can become complicated when a plaintiff has other medical conditions. We may need to distinguish between future medical needs related to your current injuries and preexisting conditions.
Your medical records may be very important to make this distinction, especially if your preexisting conditions are long-term or lifelong conditions.
What May Be Considered Reasonably Necessary Future Medical Care?
When calculating your reasonably anticipated future medical costs, we may account for numerous forms of treatment that you will need. Remember, as long as these costs are reasonably anticipated and should be expected for your injuries, we can claim them.
We should account for any future surgeries you will need. Often, serious injuries require multiple surgeries to correct. Patients may need time to recover between each surgery, so these surgeries may be scheduled long past the end of your lawsuit.
We must also consider any rehabilitative treatments, like physical therapy or occupational therapy. Rehabilitative treatment is often long-term, and it is not unheard of for people to need these treatments indefinitely.
Even smaller aspects of your care that might otherwise be overlooked should be accounted for. If you need medicine or medical equipment, like mobility aids, we must account for their costs.
Accounting for the Economy When Calculating Future Medical Expenses
The economy and the value of the American dollar will inevitably fluctuate over time. As such, we must make sure that the money you are paid now will still be enough to cover your medical needs many years in the future.
Economic experts might be necessary, especially if we are accounting for medical needs very far into the future. There is a good chance that the medical care you need today will become more expensive over time as the economy changes. As such, we may need to argue for greater compensation so they you have enough money to cover these costs.
Get Help Now from Our Illinois Personal Injury Attorneys
Call our Peoria, IL personal injury attorneys with the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502 to get a free, confidential review of your case.
Related Posts