The cost of a severe injury to a full-time parent

When someone suffers a permanent injury in California, whether they get hurt in a car crash or because they slip and fall in a puddle at the grocery store, their injury will have lasting implications for them and the rest of their family.

Often, personal injury claims in California focus on the chances of someone’s injury. It is common for people to seek compensation for hospital bills and lost wages, for example. However, the economic consequences of someone’s injury could be more complex and harder to prove.

For example, a stay-at-home parent could get hurt in a slip-and-fall incident or car crash, leaving them unable to take care of the children in the family, handle the household ledger and manage the family schedule.

Non-working family members still contribute to economic circumstances

At first glance, someone who does not work outside of the home seemingly does not contribute to the family’s economic circumstances. However, having a stay-at-home spouse or parent can mean that the other adult in the family is able to more fully focus on their career and achieve greater success.

Additionally, the work that they do would cost a significant amount of money if the family were to hire a professional for those same services. Based on income levels reported in 2019, a stay-at-home parent easily contributes the equivalent of a six-figure salary’s worth of work to their household. The bigger the home, the more children there are and the more unique demands the stay-at-home parent or spouse fulfills, the greater the economic impact of their unpaid services.

If your family can quantify the work performed by an injured loved one, you can then claim the economic value of those lost services in a personal injury lawsuit or wrongful death claim.

Including all of your costs is key to getting compensation

The courts will not award you compensation for losses unless you specifically request it. You need to have a big-picture understanding of what an injury will mean for your family both in the immediate future and in the long term.

Determining cost before you negotiate with insurance providers or file paperwork for a personal injury lawsuit will help your family connect with adequate compensation for the losses you incurred and will likely have to cover in the future.