How much is my car accident case worth?
As the dust settles from your car accident, you’re going to be left wondering how you’re going to get by. After all, the damages that the other motorist has caused can be extensive. You may be forced to suffer with physical limitations that affect the way that you live and enjoy your normal life, and the pain and anguish can leave you in an unbearable state.
On top of that, the financial realities of your wreck can quickly set in. Medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and lost wages can all leave you on the precipice of financial ruin. While you may be considering taking legal action, you’re probably also wondering what your claim is actually worth.
Calculating your car accident damages
In order to figure out what you’re claim is worth, you have to know how to analyze your losses. You can start by looking at your economic damages. These are losses upon which you can put a price tag, including incurred and anticipated medical expenses and lost wages and earnings capacity.
Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that you gather relevant documents that allow you to show the financial losses that you’ve suffered. This includes your medical bills, your pay stubs and receipts for any items that you’ve bought to help with your recovery.
What about future losses?
While showing the economic losses that you’ve suffered up to this point may be relatively easy, it’s trickier to show the damages that you’re expecting to see in the future. This is where expert testimony may prove helpful.
For example, a medical expert can testify about the severity of your injuries, your prognosis, and the treatment and care that you’ll need as you proceed with your recovery. This expert can also help put a price tag on that needed care. Just make sure that you follow your doctor’s recommendations following your wreck so that the defense can’t argue that your injuries aren’t as severe as you claim them to be.
You may also want to consider securing an employment expert. One of these individuals can help you demonstrate how your injuries have impacted your ability to work and advance in your career.
Don’t forget about non-economic losses
Non-economic losses are those damages that don’t have an objective cost associated with them. They include your pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. Since it’s hard to put a value on these damages, you have a lot of room to argue. But to succeed in showing your damages here, you’ll need to paint a convincing picture of the harm that you have experienced. That’s why it might be helpful to keep a journal of how your injuries have negatively impacted your life and secure witnesses who can testify to as much.
In many personal injury cases, your non-economic damages are calculated using a multiplier, which your attorney can discuss with you more fully.
Are you ready to see what your claim is worth?
We know that you’re dealing with a lot in the aftermath of your wreck. You need compensation, and you need it sooner rather than later. But you shouldn’t jump on a settlement offer before you know what your claim is actually worth.
That’s why now may be the best time for you to reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney to discuss your case. By doing so, you may be in a stronger position to assess your claim and determine your best course of action.