I get this question all the time, how much is my personal injury case worth? Potential clients ask this during the first phone call. This isn’t surprising and is a legitimate question to ask when weighing the expense of hiring counsel. This question is asked by plaintiffs in many different types of personal injury cases including:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Medical malpractice cases
- Birth injury cases
- Defective product injuries
This is a common theme across all personal injury cases. And is a question that is often asked throughout the process of litigation whether that is at the initiation of a case, at mediation, or at trial.
What are my damages in a personal injury case?
Victims in the above personal injury cases can get monetary damages as compensation for their damages. Damages are either compensatory damages, designed to compensate the personal injury victim for their losses including medical bills, lost wages, travel expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, etc.
Plaintiffs might collect punitive damages. Punitive damages are designed to punish the wrongdoer for particularly despicable and outrageous conduct. That outrageous conduct must be directly responsible for the victim’s injuries. These damages are more difficult to obtain and in Texas. They are even more difficult to keep on appeal.
Strategies to use to determine the value of a personal injury case.
When valuing your case, your personal injury attorney will use their prior experience in handling similar cases to help assess a value. Also, they can look to prior reported verdicts in similar matters for an idea of how juries have valued cases like yours.
Additionally, your personal injury attorney should take into account all of your damages. This includes your lost wages, all medical bills if your treatment has been completed, (it is difficult to calculate damages while treatment is ongoing, yet attorneys have tools for estimating future medical costs), incidental losses, and your pain and suffering. Be sure your attorney has all of this information by telling them all of the doctors that you have seen and treatment you have had as a result of the accident.
Tell your personal injury attorney of the pain, suffering, and anguish you have endured. Your attorney needs to know what your family has gone through as well. With these tools, an attorney will be able to conduct a complete case review with a thorough understanding of your harm, local awards, and settlements.
Every case is different. And the value of every case is different. The law impacts the value. The venue impacts the value. The extent of your injuries may impact the case value. You cannot expect your neighbor’s results in your case. Trust the personal injury attorney that you hire . If you have questions about your personal injury case, contact Chelsie King Garza today for a free consultation.
