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You may be left with several lasting effects from a car accident. Even long after the crash, you may never fully heal. Not only can you be affected physically, but your appearance may also be changed. If you have suffered scarring and disfigurement in a car accident, it is considered part of the ‘non-economic’ damages to which you are entitled if someone else was to blame for the accident. An experienced car accident lawyer can help quantify your harm and fight for you to receive all the money you deserve.

Causes of Car Accident Scarring

Permanent scars from car accidents may be caused by:

• Flying debris penetrating your skin, such as broken glass.
• Severely broken bones that protrude through the skin.
• Burns from either a fire or a part of your body touching against a hot surface.
• Hitting a part of your body against any jagged part of your car.

Not every scar can improve in appearance over time. You may have one or more plastic surgery procedures to help correct the scarring. The responsible party must pay you for both the cost of these procedures and the pain and suffering that you may have endured. Even after plastic surgery, it may still not correct the scar entirely or completely improve your appearance.

Factors That Impact Your Compensation for Scarring and Disfigurement

The amount of compensation that you may receive for scarring and disfigurement depends on the location of the damage to your appearance. When you have scarring in a more prominent place, you are more likely to receive a larger amount of money. Your appearance is more dramatically affected, and there is little that you can do to hide the scarring. Conversely, you may receive less money

if the scarring is on a part of your body that can be covered up and hidden from view. Nevertheless, you may still be entitled to some compensation for permanent scarring and disfigurement because it can affect your own mental health.

Scarring and disfigurement can also lead to compensation for lost wages. Your earnings capacity may be negatively affected if you have prominent scarring. It could be harder for you to get a job, even though the law prohibits discrimination against people who are disabled. If you already have a job, it could be more difficult for you to advance and earn more money. The responsible driver is legally obligated to compensate you for a reduction in your earnings capacity, no matter how it happens.

Your compensation amount may also depend on your age and even your relationship status. If you are unmarried, you could be entitled to more compensation because the change in your appearance could make it more difficult to find a partner. Similarly, women may be entitled to even more money for scarring and disfigurement than men because of societal perceptions based on appearance. Further, younger car accident victims could be entitled to more money for scarring and disfigurement because they need to live with the consequences of it for more time.

One of the major issues related to scarring and disfigurement compensation is that the amount of your damages can be entirely subjective. The insurance company may understate the effect that the scar could have on your life. However, you are the one who knows best about how you are life may change due to your altered appearance. To know exactly how much your scarring and disfigurement damages may be, you should contact a car accident lawyer. They would then review your case and learn about your situation to help you come up with a figure to seek in a settlement or court case.

Contact the Charleston Car Accident Lawyers at Rogers, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman LLC Today for Help with Your Case

If you have suffered any type of injury in a motor vehicle crash, reach out to the Charleston car accident lawyers at Rogers, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman LLC. We can gather evidence about what happened in the crash and help you estimate the value of your damages. You can schedule a free initial consultation with one of our car accident lawyers by calling us today at 843-727-6500 or by submitting our online contact form. With our offices located in Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Aiken, and Columbia, South Carolina, we gladly serve clients throughout South Carolina.