How Much is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
August 19, 2014
A personal injury case occurs when one individual suffers a serious injured due to the negligent or reckless actions of another individual and/or company. The injured part often incurs a number of expenses, most likely medical bills and additional treatment costs. For this reason, the legal system allows for an injury victim to pursue compensatory damages.
Determining how much your case is worth, or how much you can recover for your injuries, can be challenging. The value of your case will depend greatly on the type of injuries you are suffering from and the type of accident that caused it. Trying to put a dollar figure on the consequences of an accident can be difficult, especially when some of those consequences are emotional pain and distress, rather than physical medical bills.
Factors that Affect a Case’s Value
While some damages will be easier to calculate, others will be more challenging, which is why having an attorney on your side can help ensure the full value is given.
Some of the most common injury damages that will be calculated include:
- Medical treatment, hospital bills, therapy costs, and any other type of care
- Impact of the accident on your wages
- Property loss, such as a damaged vehicle
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress or psychological impact of an accident
- Loss of enjoyment
- Wrongful death expenses or loss of consortium
Your claim will likely be calculated depending on how many of these factors (and to what extent) are involved in your case. You will either receive a settlement from the negligent party or a verdict from a jury.
What are punitive damages?
In addition to compensatory damages, punitive damages can also be awarded if the negligent party acted in an outrageously careless manner. While compensatory damages are used to support an injured party and help “make whole” for what they lose in an accident, punitive damages are used as a way to punish a reckless party for their actions. This can be an extremely effective method of punishment for negligent individuals. Most likely there will be a cap on punitive damage awards, limiting this amount more than compensatory damages.
Have more questions about the value of your case? Speak with one of our Atlanta injury attorneys today for counsel.
