Personal injury cases can lead to significant compensation for injuries and damages. But every case is different and every claim has a unique value. Thus, a lot of factors affect the worth of a personal injury claim. To ensure you make the most out of your claim, hire an injury lawyer in Macon to calculate your claim for you and make insurance claims pay you.
The Damage You Can Recover
Personal injury damages are categorized into the following:
- Economic damages. These are financial losses associated with your injury. They include medical bills and expenses, property damage, future medical treatment costs, lost wages, and lost future earning potential. Injuries that result in a disabling condition can warrant huge compensation. Economists and medical experts may need to be hired to help establish the extent of your injuries and losses.
- Non-economic damages. These are associated with the pain and suffering you experience due to your injuries and the accident. They include emotional distress, disfigurement or scarring, mental trauma, permanent impairments, mental anguish, and reduced quality of life. It’s not easy to determine a value for these damages. But your attorney will use an established method to calculate your non-economic damages.
- Punitive damages. These damages are intended to punish the defendant for their misconduct. But you must prove the other party acted with fraud, oppression, or malice.
What Affects the Value of Your Claim
The value of your personal injury claim can be affected by the following factors:
- The seriousness of your injuries. The more serious your injuries are the higher your claim’s value. But even minor injuries are worth pursuing.
- Recovery duration. How long your recovery is can affect the cost of your medical care, the amount of lost wages incurred, and your personal care cost.
- Comparative negligence. If you share responsibility for the accident and your injury, your claim’s value will be reduced based on the percentage of your fault. You can only recover damages if you are less than 49 percent responsible for the accident.
- Your evidence. To hold the at-fault party responsible for your damages, you need to prove their negligence and fault caused the accident. Thankfully, your attorney knows what type of evidence to collect to strengthen your claim. Without strong evidence, the insurance company will make a lowball settlement offer asserting it’s the worth of your claim. Do not accept any offer from the company without consulting with your attorney first.
