When you’re a lawyer in a big city like Philadelphia, where you can’t count the number of personal injury cases that come across your desk in a year’s time, you quickly learn everything that there is to learn about personal injury cases. There are many factors involved in personal injury claims that determine what your claim is worth. Knowing the difference between full and limited tort matters when it comes to compensation. . You have to think about your past, present and future medical bills as well as other losses. Other losses include out-of-pocket expenses and lost income. Calculating the total amount of your damages is not easy. When you think about your pain, suffering and emotional distress, you have to put a price on something that doesn’t have monetary value. Yet, these things caused you stress from an injury that wasn’t your fault. You should be compensated in some way for this.
What you think your claim is worth and what the insurance company will actually give you are, often, two very different amounts. You want to get paid as much as you can and they want to pay as little as they can.
The categories of damage that determine what a case is worth include: medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and loss of consortium.
Medical bills. – This includes medical bills incurred at the time of the accident up to the time case is ready to settle. These are known as past medical bills. Current medical bills are those bills in which you are incurring right now as a result of the accident. Future medical bills are those reasonably projected to incur after settlement and for the remainder of the injured person’s life.
Lost wages – The next aspect of evaluating settlement value to a claim is to consider lost wages, past, present and future. It is fairly easy to determine what an individual has lost in terms of salary after being injured. You can determine how much in wages have been lost since being injured. However, it is a bit harder to determine what their future lost wages would be. You may have to take a lower paying salary because of your injuries. You may not be able to do the same work you did. You deserve to be compensated for lost future wages due to your injury.
Pain and suffering – Pain and suffering is harder to determine because it is hard to put a monetary value on it. But you need to consider it as part of the claim. You have to understand that this injury, through no fault of your own, has disrupted your life. It can continue to distrupt your life if you continue to suffer in the future. This accident can take away certain freedoms you once took for granted. The activities of daily living can be hindered. You may not enjoy simple things you once did like physical exercise, cleaning your house or even driving your car. You don’t realize how your everyday activities are completely disrupted by pain.
Loss of consortium – The final element of damage to consider is loss of consortium. Consortium simply means: two or more individuls working together. When you are injured, your spouse and family suffers too. Loss of consortium is the money that your spouse is entitled to as part of your claim. If you are the breadwinner and can no longer work, your family suffers. The law recognizes this as a viable part of a personal injury claim.
It is important to find an attorney who cares and will fight with you and make sure you receive all the compensation you are entitled to. Insurance companies defending the other party will try to make sure you get as little money as possible. They are experienced in personal injury claims and will fight hard to make sure you get as little as possible. You didn’t ask to be injured and you are suffering for it in many ways. It’s time you get the justice you deserve.