The amount of compensation you’re entitled to when working with a personal injury lawyer depends entirely on your individual circumstances. To get a rough idea of what you may be entitled to, you can talk to your personal injury lawyer, and even do some research online about cases similar to yours. However, there are certain factors that have an effect on how much you are entitled to that you should take into account.
Most personal injury suits are compensatory, meaning that your settlement amount will compensate you for what you’ve lost in the accident.
Medical Costs: If you have high medical bills, this will likely be the first thing that is taken into account when considering your settlement. It is also important to consider how much of these bills your insurance will (or more importantly, won’t) cover.
Loss of Income: Most serious injuries force you to take time away from work, meaning you’ll lose a significant portion of your financial resources. Your general financial status will also be taken into consideration when determining your settlement amount.
Physical Pain and Stress: In addition to compensating you for the amount of money you have lost, most settlements will also take into account the amount of physical and emotional pain and suffering that you’ve endured, and will continue to endure, in the future.
Disruption of Daily Life: Any disruption to your daily life will be taken into consideration when determining your settlement amount. This includes the inability to work, enjoy favourite hobbies and activities, and spend time with your family and significant other. Having a full and happy life is important for overall health, and as such, you should be appropriately compensated for any loss of enjoyment that you suffer as a result of the accident.
All of these factors will be taken into consideration when determining the amount of your settlement. However, it’s important to take into account that if any of your actions contributed to the cause of the accident, you may lose the right to some of your damages. A good personal injury lawyer will help you with this to make sure that you are fairly and lawfully compensated.
Also, if your property has been damaged you may be entitled to recover some compensation for such damage. This includes your car, bike, helmet and other safety gear. This is a separate claim to a personal injury claim.