Personal Injury Legal Advice: Valuing a Case

If you have been injured in an accident, in a slip and fall, or even in a malpractice or defective product situation, you may be wondering what your injury is worth in terms of settlement and damages. While you should get expert personal injury legal advice to fully evaluate your case, there are also several basic facts that can help you to understand what the case is worth. Determining the value of your case depends primarily on three factors: the facts of your case, what evidence you have, and what professionals you choose to work with during the process.

The Facts of Your Case

The amount you will receive from an insurance company will depend largely on the facts surrounding your injury. To get to the facts, and determine the value of your case, the following questions should be considered:

What happened?
Who is at fault?
What types of injuries have you sustained?
What is the timeline of your injury and subsequent treatment?
How much work time and income have you lost?
What expenses have you incurred as a result of your injury?

Examining the facts of your case will help you determine if an insurance company and/or jury will be able to assess those same facts and find you have sustained an injury, due to someone else. This is the foundation of valuing your case.

The Evidence in Your Case

The facts of your case will not amount to much when evaluating damages if you cannot PROVE those facts. To do so, especially in order to estimate how much your case is worth, be sure to:

Gather all medical records and doctor testimony
Gather all bills, from physicians, hospitals, car body shops, rehab facilities, and much more
Take and keep plenty of photos documenting your injury, its cause, and all other relevant factors.

If you have PLENTY of evidence to support your case, and that evidence points to a more egregious set a of personal injury circumstances, you can value your case higher than if you do not feel you can prove any or many of your claims.

The Damages

The nature, extent and permanence of your injuries will also affect the value of your case. The more serious your injuries, the more you can expect to receive. You are generally allowed damages for:

Medical bills
Lost wages
Pain and suffering
Emotional stress from the accident
In some cases, punitive damages are also permitted

Getting Help

Being in good hands will help you determine what your case is worth. Working with attorneys, developing a good working relationship with your insurance company and adjusters, and consulting with other professionals will assist you in building your case and estimating how much your case is worth. An attorney can tell you what other similar cases have garnered, in their experience, and will help you estimate the value of your case accordingly.

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