A personal injury lawyer can look at various factors to determine the value of your case. Some factors include how badly you were hurt, how long it will take you to recover, and how the injury affected your ability to work and enjoy your life.
Experts like doctors, therapists, and actuaries can also help calculate your case’s value. You do not have to figure out this aspect of your case alone!
What Are Your Injuries?
Your unique injuries and the cost to treat them will dictate how much your case is worth. You could have bills related to:
- Emergency services
- Diagnostic testing
- Surgery
- Infections
- Prescription medication
- Physical therapy
- At-home care
If you require more than one surgery, your case naturally will be more valuable than one involving injuries that did not require surgery.
For instance, the average cost of a three-day hospitalization is $30,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. However, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can cost significantly more for the same amount of time. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that inpatient stays for TBIs are 74 percent more expensive than other hospitalizations.
How Long and How Bad Did You Suffer?
It’s not just what you suffered. Two keywords in determining the value of a personal injury case are “length” and “severity.” These factors can influence what your case is worth.
Consider the variations of just one injury. A broken leg could involve a hairline fracture or a crushing injury that requires extensive medication intervention or even amputation. Whiplash can affect victims for a few weeks or cause chronic pain for over a year, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The extent and length of your suffering are consequences of the other party’s negligence, which means they should be considered when calculating your case’s worth. Our personal injury lawyers can investigate how these factors affect your specific case.
For a free legal consultation, call 404-214-2001
How Did the Accident Affect Your Life?
The trickier aspect of case valuation is determining your eligibility for other damages like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and reduced earning capacity. Calculating these damages involves analyzing the specific repercussions of your accident.
Your Injury’s Effect on Your Ability to Earn an Income
Identifying the value of your injury case in relation to earning capacity requires answering a few questions:
- How much work did you miss?
- How much will you continue to miss?
- Will you be unable to return to work at the same level?
- Will you be unable to return to the same job period?
How you answer each question will help identify how much your earning ability diminished and how much wage reimbursement you should receive. Actuaries and economists can also calculate your lifetime losses.
Your Injury’s Effect on Your Family
Your accident’s impact on your family should also be valued. If you have dependents, your hardship following an injury may be more significant than that of a person without dependents. Your case value should reflect that hardship.
Talk to our team if you have:
- Children
- Dependents
- Unique expenses affected by the injury
- Changes to your spousal relationship
In some cases, you may receive loss of consortium damages—compensation for your loss of intimacy, comfort, or support. Fortunately, while the statute of limitations for personal injury is typically two years, the deadline for loss of consortium is usually four years from the date of the accident (O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33).
Your Injury’s Effect on Your Lifestyle
Non-economic damages can compensate you for your reduced quality of life. What that means in your case depends on the areas of your life altered by the injury, such as:
- Hobbies
- Sports
- Interests
- Independence
- Mobility
For example, if you used to volunteer as a coach or referee and your injuries prevent you from standing for long periods, you could qualify for compensation. That was a meaningful activity you can no longer enjoy.
Damage to your non-dominant hand could mean you can’t crochet or sculpt anymore. Difficulty walking on uneven terrain from a back injury could end your regular hikes at a nearby park.
If you were robbed of something that brought you joy or satisfaction, talk to us. Even if you are physically capable but paralyzed by fear from the accident, your case may compensate you for those consequences.
Call Kaine Law for Help
If you are unsure how to determine the value of your potential personal injury case, just ask! At Kaine Law, we offer free consultations and 24/7 support. We can evaluate the specifics of your accident to estimate the worth of your case. Plus, we don’t charge a fee unless we obtain your damages. Call today at (404) 214-2001.
Call or text 404-214-2001 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
