How Much Will I Receive in My Personal Injury Settlement?

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Accidents are the sad part of life. Whether you are hit by a car or you trip at work and sustain an injury, you need to find an urgent solution such as seeking medical attention and filing for a personal injury case. Even though it is possible to file for a personal injury claim on yourself, hiring a personal injury lawyer gives you an upper hand towards getting appropriate compensation. However, before you make the decision, you may ask yourself how much you can expect from a personal injury settlement.

Generally, there’s no specific amount one can expect from a personal injury settlement. Since each case is unique, personal injury settlements do vary significantly. Once presented to the court of law, it’s upon the magistrate to issue a ruling on the amount of settlement the plaintiff is entitled to.

Factors That Affect the Outcome of Your Settlement

While there’s no general formula for calculating your personal injury settlement, numerous factors will affect how much compensation you can receive. Your auto accident attorney will take these factors into consideration during negotiations. These factors may include the following:

Type and Severity of the Injury

The type and severity of injury sustained in an accident can greatly dictate the amount of settlement you get. If you suffered minor injuries or damages as a result of the other party’s negligence, then you are likely to get a smaller settlement. However, if the damages sustained include major injuries such as broken bones, permanent tissue damage, or cosmetic disfigurement, the amount can exponentially increase. This can go up even more if you experience emotional trauma or significant pain from the incident.

Disruptions

If the accident drastically causes disruptions in your daily life, then you are more likely to get a larger settlement. For instance, if the accident permanently affects your arm or leg to a point that you can no longer tend to your daily activities as you did before, you are entitled to higher compensation. You can also receive compensation for any amount of work that you missed while recovering from your injuries.

Treatment Expenses

The amount of money you spend when receiving treatment will also count when your injury case is being settled. These costs include medical fees, hospital bills, drug prescriptions, and doctor’s follow-ups. In cases of long-term injury, you can also be compensated for future procedures that you may need later down the road. Just be sure to have this documented by your doctor.

Certainty of Liability

In the legal field, the magistrate will always look at injury cases from both dimensions. Some of the questions that will lay more weight on your injury settlement are whether the defendant is genuinely liable for your injuries. The plaintiff should be able to clearly indicate the defendant’s fault for the victim’s injuries.

Cost of Litigation

Of course, before you can present your case successfully to the courts, you will have to incur some expenses. These include the cost of hiring witnesses, clerical works, court costs to name a few. Depending on the amount you’ll use for filing the case, it will always have an impact on your final settlement.

Final Thoughts

Accidents are hard to predict. However, when they happen, it’s appropriate that you first seek medical assistance before you can file for a personal injury claim. If you are a victim of an accident, you may ask yourself the amount of settlement you can expect upon filing for an injury claim. Since each case is unique, there’s no exact amount you will be guaranteed of getting. However, the above-mentioned factors can influence the course of your settlement.