Suffering an injury due to someone’s negligence can be a life-changing experience. It is your right to seek compensation for damages you incur. To get justice and make informed decisions throughout the legal process, you need to understand the true worth of your personal injury case.
In this blog post, we will go through the key factors that contribute to the value of your personal injury case.
Post Contents
Legal Representation and Strategies
Having skilled legal representation, such as the personal injury lawyers at Lorenz & Lorenz, PLLC, or any other law firm advocating for your case, can significantly influence its value. One of the benefits of hiring a good personal injury lawyer is that they use their expertise to examine the various aspects of your case to determine its actual value.
Liability
Whose fault was the accident? If you are involved in an accident, someone is definitely at fault. If it is someone else’s fault, the value of your claim increases. If it is your fault, then the total compensation amount will take a hit.
To strengthen your claim, you need to gather strong evidence highlighting the other party’s negligence. This evidence includes police reports, medical records, crash reports, witness statements, or photographs from the accident scene.
Medical Expenses
If you get hurt in an accident, your injuries may affect your way of life. You may need to quit your job, limiting your finances. Medical bills become a huge burden without an income.
The types of medical expenses that you can recover through a personal injury case include:
- Hospital bills: You may need hospitalization after an accident; include any ambulance bills, emergency room expenses, and hospital costs in your claim.
- Diagnostic testing: Tests to establish the degree of your injuries are additional expenses.
- Surgery: You may need surgery in case you suffer severe head or spinal cord injuries or internal organ damage. These surgeries require a lot of money.
- Therapy and rehabilitation: Therapy can be a big part of recovery from many injuries. You may need the services of rehabilitation therapists to assist you in adjusting to your condition.
- Doctor appointments: You may need to visit the doctor several times if you suffer serious injuries. Be sure to include the expenses in your claim.
- Medication: It is your right to get compensated for the cost of the prescription medication that you need to treat your injuries.
- Travel expenses: You should include travel expenses you incur during hospital trips.
Using medical records, you can prove the degree of your injuries and the expenses you incurred.
Lost Wages or Future Earning Capacity
If the accident causes you to lose your job, you may get the salary you lost during recovery. You may become disabled due to injuries and not return to work. Your lost wages include the earnings you could have earned if the other party did not harm you.
Pain and Suffering
Your pain and suffering could last a lifetime, even after hospitalization and rehabilitation. You may require continued treatment for the residual effects of your injuries. Pain and suffering include physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced utility of life. Quantifying pain and suffering may be challenging, but it is also crucial to your case.
Insurance Coverage Limits
It is important to understand the insurance coverage limits of the negligent party, as it will significantly impact your case. Knowing the limits may help you manage your expectations and guide your legal strategies for seeking additional compensation.
Conclusion
The road to a personal injury settlement is complex. Multiple factors influence the compensation amount, from determining the injuries’ severity to understanding the pain and suffering the victim experiences. Seeking advice from a personal injury lawyer is critical. This will increase your chances of a better settlement.