How much is my case worth? What is the value of my injury? How much can I get from my settlement? These are some of the most common questions that I receive. When you are injured due to someone else’s negligence, it is important to determine how much compensation you are owed. This is especially true if medical bills are adding up or if you are no longer able to work due to your injury. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to determine the value of your case, but an experienced personal injury attorney can help.
There are several factors that can be considered when determining a case’s value:
- Your medical bills. The cost of medical treatment and other healthcare-related expenses can be recovered. As such, emergency room visits, surgical fees, medication fees, and physical therapy expenses can all factor into your settlement amount.
- Your property damage. If your personal property, including your vehicle, was damaged or destroyed because of the at-fault party’s negligence, the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged or destroyed property is factored into determining the value of your case.
- Your lost wages and earning capacity. Being unable to work can drastically affect your life. Depending on the severity of your injury, you may have missed time from work or lost the ability to work in the future. These types of losses are recoverable and, if established, can significantly increase the value of your case.
- Pain and Suffering. Generally speaking, the worse the injury, the more the case is worth. However, in order to establish both the extent of the injury as well as pain and suffering, clear evidence is needed. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you acquire the evidence to establish your pain and suffering which will maximize the case’s value.
- Your own fault. In both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, your degree of fault in causing the accident can reduce the amount you recover. In Rhode Island, you will recover the percentage of which the other party is at fault. For example, if you are 75% at fault for causing the accident, and you suffered $100,000.00 in damages, you will only be allowed to recover $25,000.00. In Massachusetts, if you are found above 50% at fault for the accident, you are not entitled to recover.
Finally, if you have been injured, the most important aspect to determine, and maximize, the value of your claim is hiring an experienced personal injury attorney. Contact Ed at Mazzaferro Law for a free consultation. Call him at 401-335-0078 or fill out the contact form.