After being involved in a car accident, your life may change dramatically. If you're married, the injuries and impact of an accident can change the dynamics of your relationship and daily life. As your spouse supports you through this healing time, you may also be seeking legal help through a settlement case. While consulting with a car accident lawyer, there are a lot of ways your spouse can help with the case. Even if the spouse was not present for the accident, there are multiple ways they can become involved with the proceedings and settlement case as a whole. By getting their assistance, it can make it a lot easier to move forward with a case and get a better settlement outcome.

Daily Impact Statement

As you move forward with a car accident injury case, one of the biggest elements to consider is your "pain and suffering" statement. This is a document that details the emotional trauma you suffered through an accident and the aftermath that has occurred as a result. Along with getting your own perspective on the situation, a lawyer can provide more evidence and insight on the case through a daily impact statement that is provided by your spouse. There are many aspects of this statement that can help contribute to your settlement case. One of the main portions of the statement can talk about the immediate aftermath of the accident. This includes your journey to the hospital and finally coming home after suffering through injuries. The unique perspective of a spouse can also talk about daily changes from routines that you used to have. This includes meal preparation, couple's activities, or the emotional state that you have been going through. The supplemental evidence of these statements can help boost your case and allow you to get a proper settlement.

Financial Factors

Another large portion of a settlement case is showcasing any financial factors that may have impacted your life or your family. For example, you may have missed weeks of work due to the injuries from the car accident. Not only can you seek lost income from your own job, but a lawyer may seek lost income from your spouse's job too. During your injury healing period, your spouse may have been forced to take time off of work to help care for your needs and provide you with help through various struggles.

Along with income factors, there may be some financial changes in the home that impact your spouse. For example, if you injured your back, hips, or neck, you may not be able to sleep in the same bed with your spouse until the injuries have healed. If this is the case, then your spouse may have had to purchase items like an air mattress or sleeping cot. All of these costs should be included directly with your settlement case. A lawyer can seek compensation for those items using receipts and showing why the items were needed in the first place.

Transportation Needs

After a car accident, the daily commutes and transportation needs for you and spouse may dramatically change. As your settlement case is being built, it's important to consider these factors and various types of compensation you are seeking. For example, if your other vehicle was totaled, the vehicle that your spouse uses may have more wear and tear and maintenance that is needed. This includes extra costs for gas, oil changes, tires, and the additional mileage used for trips like doctor's appointments. Your spouse can keep track of these extra expenses and use them to help built a proper settlement case.

Having the support of your spouse can go a long way in building your settlement case. Contact a personal injury lawyer to start building your case and using all of the ways your spouse can support your needs.