Motor vehicle collisions can cause tens of thousands of dollars in property damage and injuries. Although insurance is often not enough, not everyone hurt in a car crash can automatically file a lawsuit against the driver at fault for the wreck. Connecticut personal injury claims must meet several important standards set by the state.
The first is that the plaintiff must have suffered financial losses. The second is that they can show that the illegal behavior or negligent actions of someone else cause their injury. Those affected by car crashes could ask for compensation for vehicle replacement costs, medical bills and lost income due to the car crash.
Of course, not everyone who gets hurt in a motor vehicle collision has a job outside of the home. Stay-at-home parents and homemakers can easily get into a crash while running errands or transporting family members to school or medical appointments. Do they have fewer options for compensation than a professional who gets hurt in a crash?
Stay-at-home parents perform a valuable work
Despite how little importance society ascribes to household work, the average homemaker or stay-at-home parent performs thousands of dollars of work without any compensation every year. Economic experts estimate that a stay-at-home parent’s services, if compensated according to current professional pay rates, would mean earning a salary of almost $180,000 each year.
Someone who gives up their income to support a family may serve as a personal chef, an administrative assistant organizing everyone’s schedules and an around-the-clock child care provider, all of which are services that command respectable salaries when outsources to professionals.
A homemaker who suffers a serious injury and can no longer support their family in the way they did before the car crash could potentially claim the market value of the services they provide their family as part of a civil lawsuit against the driver who caused the wreck.
Putting a price on a crash can be hard. To pursue a personal injury claim in Connecticut, you need to understand the law and have evidence to support your claim. Learning more about how to put a price on the impact of the collision and your rights under Connecticut law will help those recovering from a major crash.