A non-injury car accident is a collision in which no one suffers a physical injury. You can still suffer losses in the form of property damage. If another party’s negligence causes the accident that inflicts the property damage, you can qualify to file a lawsuit against them to recover your damages.
The details of every non-injury collision are different. Thus, a seasoned attorney needs to review the circumstances of your case to determine the approximate value of your losses.
Because specific details about the crash will affect your recovery, there is no average settlement for a non-injury car accident. When another person causes your financial losses, they should be responsible for compensating you for them.
A Maine car accident attorney at Mann Law can review your case and determine whether you qualify to file a claim. Our team has more than fifty years of combined experience advocating for those who suffered losses in car accidents.
Contact our office today to schedule an appointment with a member of our team.
As stated above, there is no average settlement for a non-injury car accident because each settlement depends on your specific losses.
For example, vehicle damage from the accident is a type of loss you may recover in a non-injury accident settlement. Someone who drives a $100,000 vehicle will likely need more money to repair their vehicle than someone who owns a vehicle worth only $5,000.
Alternatively, consider a drunk driver who crashes into another person’s lawn. A property owner with expensive landscaping and fencing will typically recover a larger settlement than a property owner without such property additions.
The plaintiff’s characteristics and habits can also affect the size of a non-injury car accident settlement. Consider an accident where the at-fault driver totals the plaintiff’s vehicle, rendering it inoperable.
The plaintiff uses their vehicle to drive to and from work every day. The plaintiff can seek compensation for their lost wages while their vehicle was repaired, or can rent a vehicle and seek reimbursement for their rental car.
Although many car accidents only result in property damage, other collisions can result in devastating injuries to occupants and bystanders.
Car accident injuries often require immediate medical treatment and a stint in the hospital. Some accidents result in permanent injuries that affect an individual’s ability to return to their job or obtain other positions in the future.
The medical bills and loss of future earning capacity can easily add up to tens of thousands of dollars in losses. These damages, in addition to higher property damage repair costs, often make severe car accident settlements much larger than settlements for minor car crashes.
You prove fault the same way in a non-injury accident as you do in a car accident with injuries. This is accomplished by showing that the at-fault party’s negligence caused the non-injury accident that resulted in your damages. Proving negligence requires showing evidence of four elements:
A legal duty is an obligation to conform your conduct to the standard of a reasonably prudent person. Drivers owe a duty of care to other motorists and pedestrians to operate their vehicles in a reasonably safe manner.
Someone breaches their duty of care when they fail to act as a reasonably prudent person would in the same or similar circumstances. For example, drivers can breach their duty of care by ignoring posted traffic signs and signals.
The plaintiff demonstrates causation by proving that their losses would not have occurred if the at-fault driver had not breached their duty of care. Additionally, the plaintiff must show that their losses were a foreseeable result of the opposing party’s breach.
Lastly, you must provide evidence that you suffered actual losses due to the at-fault party’s negligence. The most common form of loss in a non-injury accident is property damage.
Our team of experienced injury lawyers at Mann Law will not treat your case as just another number. We are committed to putting our clients’ interests first and securing the best outcome possible.
Our attorneys offer personalized service to each of our clients and will fight tooth and nail to secure the settlements they deserve.
With experience as in-house counsel for an insurance company, our founding attorney, Christiana Mann, possesses unique insight when negotiating the best possible non-injury car accident settlement.
No injuries do not mean no recovery. Additionally, Mann Law has earned recognition as the Best Law Firm and Best Personal Injury Law Firm by the Portland Radio Group.
We are dedicated to holding individuals and corporations responsible for the losses they cause. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
Our team provided some answers to questions clients frequently ask about non-injury accident settlements.
You can file a car accident claim as long as you can demonstrate that the opposing party’s negligence caused your losses. Once you initiate the legal process, the opposing party’s representation may try to settle the claim without going to trial.
In this scenario, you are in control of the minimum settlement you will accept. Our team will help you compile information to calculate the true value of your losses, so you know whether a settlement offer is fair.
Car accident injuries may require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation to restore the victim to their prior condition.
The treatment and recovery process constitutes a large portion of damages in many car accident cases. Additionally, the lasting impacts of a serious injury can give rise to noneconomic damages like pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
Property is almost always easier to replace than fully recovering from a devastating injury.
