When you experience a personal injury, whether it’s a car accident, a dog bite, or something else, a personal injury lawyer will work closely to determine the value of your case. How it’s determined will vary on a number of factors. There might also be negotiation before the case is settled.
Medical Bills
First and foremost, personal injury lawyers will look at the extent of injuries. You might have a large number of medical bills adding up because of hospital stays, surgeries, prescription drugs, and more.
The value of your case is often determined by the medical bills that you have accrued as well as the medical bills that you could accrue later on. Some injuries are not as simple as being treated and being done. You might need years of therapy, follow-up doctor visits, and much more.
All of this will be taken into consideration when determining the value of your case. This will be part of what a lawyer will ask for when creating a lawsuit against the person responsible for your injuries.
Pain & Suffering
In addition to the medical bills, the case will often be built based on pain and suffering now and into the future.
- Have you missed work?
- How has the injury affected you emotionally?
- Are you able to resume all of your normal activities?
- Do you have fears related to the trauma you experienced?
All of these questions and how you answer them will be used to establish what your case is worth.
Often, the pain and suffering are to provide you with compensation for what you will go through, not what you have gone through. If you have been permanently impacted by the injuries, you are probably going to be entitled to more financial compensation. Lawyers will look at your ability to work, to continue earning what you are earning right now, and whether you will be able to continue with a normal way of life.
If you are fearful of driving because of being in a car accident and you need therapy, then that is something else that lawyers will look at and calculate when looking at the value of your case.
Other Factors
All sorts of other factors might be used to value your personal injury case, too. It depends heavily on what happened and how you were affected. A lawyer could look at what your insurance has paid, what your out-of-pocket expenses were, and more.
If you are still in the hospital and medical bills are still coming in, this will be a factor, too. It is because estimates will need to be made as opposed to using all existing medical bills that add up to all that was needed to ensure you are better.
Lost earnings, therapy, counseling, and all sorts of other things could be used to determine the value of your case. If there have been other cases similar to yours, those might also be used. It will allow the lawyer to have a comparison, which can also be used in the courts to show that you deserve the amount that is being requested.
By working with a lawyer who has experience working with personal injuries, you are better off.
Negotiations
It’s one thing to ask for a certain amount of money in a lawsuit. It’s another thing to receive that amount. That is why there are negotiations. Often, a personal injury lawyer will handle the negotiations from early on to avoid mistakes.
The person who is being sued for their wrongdoing or their negligence will likely have a personal injury law firm helping them, too. They won’t want to accept the value of the case as is. By negotiating, lawyers will work to establish a compromise.
When you have a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer working for you, they will know how to value the case to ensure that you get what you deserve. The value will typically start higher than what you will actually get, but it should cover all of your expenses and then some to account for your injuries.
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