How to Know the True Worth of Your Personal Injury Claim
Making a personal injury claim can be time-consuming. It’s essential to know what your damages are to determine how much effort you can put into the claim. Understanding the true worth of your personal injury claim depends on various factors. They include the damages you might have incurred or might incur in the future. The damages might be physical, financial, mental, or all three.
Getting an attorney to help you assess your situation is recommended. By hiring a lawyer, you are highly likely to get better compensation. You can get legal assistance from reliable firms like the law offices of Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, LLP, who can provide legal expertise for your case.
Attorneys are great negotiators and will do their best to seek the best outcome for your claim. You will know the true worth of your personal injury claim by following the sections below.
1. Assessing Your Injury
Severe injuries require high compensation, unlike minor ones. This is because they need more medical treatment. They also have long-term effects on the victim. The effects can be physical and emotional.
Detailed medical records and proof of medical costs incurred are used to quantify the severity of your injury. Some injuries have a permanent effect on your daily activities. They need higher compensation because they have long-term effects.
2. Income Lost as a Result of Your Injury
You need to prove how much you lost by being unable to work. You can do this by multiplying your hourly income by the hours of work you missed. The records of income you received before the injury are also considered strong evidence. A statement by your employers comes in equally handy as well. If you are self-employed, assess your average daily income and equate it to the days you missed work. Then you can evaluate the income lost and seek compensation.
3. Future Healthcare Expenses
Add each medical expense you have had to incur in your treatment. You should include the cost of future medical consultations if your injury requires regular check-ups. You can also research the average cost of treatment for the type of injury you have suffered.
Your attorney could be of help because they are knowledgeable about estimating your future medical expenses.
4. Emotional Distress
Most victims focus so much on the physical injuries sustained in an accident that they forget about the emotional impact.
The emotional impact of an accident is seldom discussed. That is because they vary for each person, and it is difficult to assign a specific dollar value to them.
Considering the emotional effects of an accident and the injuries sustained is crucial in a personal injury settlement. It helps to visit a therapist and get a detailed statement on the current emotional disturbances you’re currently going through. This will help prove the emotional distress you’re going through.
5. Comparing Similar Claims
Comparing similar claims helps you get insights into your claim. It allows you to gauge the range of your compensation, making it easy to negotiate a fair settlement.
In some cases, it could give you insights into your case’s setbacks or advantages. This could be pretty useful as well.
6. Get a Lawyer
An experienced personal injury lawyer is an excellent asset to your case. They will negotiate for higher settlements. Personal injury lawyers will guide you through all aspects of a personal injury case. They are the best choice for demystifying the laws around compensation claims.
They will also ensure that the deadlines are being met. The process of making claims is tedious. Your lawyer can handle that for you as you focus on your recovery.