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Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Out-of-Pocket Expenses

When you pursue a personal injury claim, you must document your economic damages. These losses usually fall into a few specific categories, like medical bills, property damage, and income losses. But many accident victims fail to include the reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket expenses associated with these losses.

These expenses could represent a significant share of your damages. For example, you could spend thousands of dollars above your medical bills to get medical treatment. Similarly, your injuries could force you to incur many costs beyond medical treatment, such as the cost of renting a wheelchair.

Examples of Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Out-of-pocket expenses are those that were caused by the accident that you must pay out of your income or savings. You must show that the expenses directly resulted from the effects of the accident. For example, the money you paid for crutches was a logical result of your slip and fall accident in a local restaurant.

Out-of-pocket expenses can take many forms. Often, lawyers will think about categories of economic losses when helping clients identify their out-of-pocket costs. These categories include:

Medical Expenses

Your personal injury compensation should cover all of your expenses for surgery, outpatient procedures, physical and mental health therapy, and medication. 

It can also cover the necessary and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses you incur while seeking and receiving medical attention, such as:

  • Health insurance co-pays and deductibles
  • Over-the-counter medication
  • Medical equipment, such as bandages, wheelchairs, and home hospital beds

If you do not live near a healthcare provider who can provide the prescribed medical care, your compensable medical expenses can cover your travel costs, including:

  • Travel expenses, such as an airplane ticket or fuel for your car
  • Hotel
  • Tolls
  • Parking fees

To get compensation for these expenses, you must show that they were reasonable and necessary. “Necessary” means that you needed them based on your doctor’s medical advice. “Reasonable” means you did not overpay for them.

Thus, if you live in a big city like Portland, traveling to Eugene for treatment might not be necessary or reasonable because you could have received the care you needed without traveling. 

But suppose that you live in Eugene. You might need to see a specialist you can only find in Portland. In this example, travel might be reasonable and necessary.

Property Losses

One of the greatest inconveniences after a traffic crash is the loss of your vehicle. If you were injured in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, or bicycle accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you can pursue a claim for your property losses. This claim always includes the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle.

But it can also include the out-of-pocket expenses you incur, such as:

  • Taxi, bus, or rideshare fares
  • Car rental costs
  • Repair or replacement deductibles under your collision insurance
  • Repairing or replacing personal property damaged in the accident

For example, suppose that you were in a car crash that totaled your $20,000 vehicle. You had a $5,000 deductible on your auto policy, so you only received a check from your insurer for $15,000. Additionally, you rented a car for two weeks for $600.

Your out-of-pocket expenses, in this case, are $5,600. You can add this to your claim against the at-fault driver.

Disability Costs

Being disabled costs money. Even if you only suffer a temporary disability, you could incur expenses you would not normally have.

Some examples of disability expenses include your costs for:

  • Mobility aids like crutches, wheelchairs, walkers, or scooters
  • Residential rehabilitation facility
  • In-home nurse or caretaker
  • Vehicle and home modifications, including grab bars and wheelchair ramps

Again, the compensability of these expenses will depend on the reasonableness of the expenditure. If you suffered a sprained knee with a six-week recovery time, installing an elevator in your house might be unreasonable. But it might be reasonable to install a wheelchair ramp leading to your front door.

Replacement Services

Your injury might disable you from caring for your family. Your out-of-pocket expenses include the cost of replacing the services you provide to them. 

Thus, you can include expenses for:

  • Grocery delivery
  • Cleaning service
  • Daycare or babysitter

As you secure replacement services, keep in mind that your expenses must have resulted from your accident. If your children were in daycare before your injury, those expenses were not “caused” by the accident.

Proving Out-of-Pocket Expenses in an Oregon Personal Injury Case

You will have a discussion with your Portland personal injury attorney about all of your financial losses from your accident. 

To include the out-of-pocket expenses, you will need:

  • Receipts
  • Bank or credit card statements
  • Repair estimates

Your lawyer will use these documents to show the value and purpose of these expenses. These records will also help your lawyer overcome any argument that your out-of-pocket expenditures were unreasonable or unnecessary.

Contact a Portland personal injury lawyer to discuss your accident and how to obtain reimbursement for the out-of-pocket expenses it caused. Call Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers at (503) 272-8986 today.

Justin Vieth
Justin Vieth
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Shimmeri Selph
Shimmeri Selph
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Don't waste your time.
Alan Rogers
Alan Rogers
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Thanks Aaron, we truly appreciate everything you have done for us.I know that I was a handful early on, but you handled it with a deft touch and ultimately proved yourself to be a great advocate for our family none the less.Thanks so much Bud!You have my eternal respect and gratitude.
Tim Cheredayko
Tim Cheredayko
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Tillmann helped me out a lot! Going over ever detail with the case from both sides and always informing me what is going to happen through out the case. Definitely recommend Tillmann Law!
A B
A B
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Rude. Classist. The receptionist needs some manners. Actually hung up when told was a low income family.
Justin W
Justin W
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I had the pleasure of working with Aaron and his team over the course of the last year. They were very professional and responsive. Dealing with injuries can be dreadful, but Aaron made it as painless as possible. I highly recommend.
Bonnie Thorn
Bonnie Thorn
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Aaron Tillmann and his entire staff were professional, empathetic and very knowledgeable. They assisted our family at a time when we were grieving the loss of our son with compassion and respect.
Tina Rutledge
Tina Rutledge
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Arisbet Bustos
Arisbet Bustos
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I am very grateful and pleased with the services of Lawyer Aaron and his team work, especially Julia, who was always attentive to my concerns and resolved my doubts with a good attitude and empathy, and best of all, she speaks Spanish. Thank you so much!!!
Ken Pollett
Ken Pollett
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I was involved in a serious auto accident. Not that there is a good time to be in any accident, it just happened to be 2020. Tillman Law and support staff kept me in the loop as the court system was disarray with all the Covid issues. The staff was very professional and courteous. In a nutshell, they took care of me.
Jordan Bedrick
Jordan Bedrick
1682367951
My husband was in a bad car accident a few years back, and he was stopped due to traffic. He was behind a fuel truck, and someone rear-ended him, going 60mph. The worst part was our 6 mo old was in our and the truck was totaled beyond repair and my husbands back injured severly he ended up with 2 broken vertebrae. Our child had ptsd any time getting into a vehicle after that. Tillman made this right even though we couldn't do much for our son other comfort him and make car rides more comfortable from there on out Tillman was able to get my husband the money he deserved after the other driver was extremely negligent and either not paying attention or on his phone or something unfortunately this was during covid and when the police came they didnt do a single thing to check for any of that. We can't say enough good things about Aaron Tillman he gave us our hope back and the ability to have back surgery to repair a lot of his back issues due to the car wreck. So if you have been in an accident definitely call Tillman Law they're amazing super professional, kind and empathetic beings who will work for the best possible outcome for your case and fight they won't just roll over and play dead they spent about 2.5 years on my husbands case never giving up. He was always super honest with my husband and always communicated everything. So again, thank you, Aaron Tillman, and thank you to your law firm for working so tirelessly. We appreciate it more than you know.
Cassie Kocker
Cassie Kocker
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Aaron is great. He is professional and personable which makes you feel cared about during the process. He will provide advice and resources so that the process is smooth and renders positive results. I highly recommend!
Michael Darling (Mike Rich)
Michael Darling (Mike Rich)
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Still working with them to this day! Great firm great people. Much recommend
Brittany Sloan
Brittany Sloan
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I can’t recommend Tillman Law enough. We were in a sticky situation from a car accident in December and my partner was out of work for over a month. Aaron told us we may not be able to get those lost wages, but he would definitely try to fight the insurance for them and even then we might not see the money for a long time. It’s only been 3 1/2 months since the accident and we just got our lost funds today. Tillman Law was quick, efficient, and made this entire situation much less painful. I appreciate everything they’ve done for us.
Hazel Ault
Hazel Ault
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Jennifer nelson
Jennifer nelson
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Great experience
Oksana Pavlenko
Oksana Pavlenko
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Really pleased with my experience at Tillmann Law. Mr. Tillmann and his team were on top of my case, worked hard to answer any questions I had and finished my case in a timely manner. I was really happy with the outcome . Thank you!
Robert Swanson
Robert Swanson
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Tucker Earp
Tucker Earp
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Linette Figueroa
Linette Figueroa
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Mr. Tillman took care of my care seamlessly! He immediately hopped on my case immediately and guided me through the entire process. His team is professional, organized and well-resourced! He even went back to ensure the settlement was beyond fair. If you want someone who will fight tooth and nail on your behalf- Mr. Tillman is your lawyer!
Robert Aley
Robert Aley
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I am so happy to promote Aaron and his team. They did such an amazing job handling my case. Call them if you need service. I called him when I first needed help with my accident and he called me back within five minutes. This team is so great! I am so happy to have worked with them.
Teresa Ochoa
Teresa Ochoa
1633214433
Mr. Tillmann and his paralegal Jason were fantastic to work with! They were always available to answer my questions in a timely manner and delivered a very good outcome after I was rear ended. I would recommend their services to anyone.
Roro Roro
Roro Roro
1631419364
Amazing team at the Tillman Law, LLC . His work speaks for it self. Thank you for being professional and above all understanding to different people. God bless everyone that works there .
Mercury Nightstone
Mercury Nightstone
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Aaron and his staff, especially Jason, were all extremely courteous, timely, and professional. Highly recommend, truly appreciate your hard work!
Danielle Martin
Danielle Martin
1627923620
The Tillman Law Firm is amazing! I have been very pleased with everyone that I came in contact with concerning my case. They filed the case against the insurance company and fought hard in litigation to get what rightfully was taken from me. I would highly recommend them, they are the best in the Portland metro area!
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