So, you have gotten in a car accident and are now looking on personal injury sites like UdallShumway.com and want to seek compensation for pain and suffering. You are not alone. Billions of dollars in monetary losses are recorded every year and when it comes to assigning an exact dollar amount to your particular case, you want the maximum payout.
That is when a personal injury lawyer can be indispensable. Several things will be taken into account by your lawyer, including the severity of your injuries, your health at the actual time of the accident, as well as your age. Disruptions in your daily routine will be considered as well.
Calculating Non-Economic Damages
The extent to which you were injured will have likely the biggest impact on the amount of your settlement. Different types of injuries require longer recovery periods and create different types of psychological stress.
Traumatic brain injury, concussions, and even whiplash can have long-lasting effects and lead to depression and anxiety after losing the ability to function normally in day-to-day life. The inability to work can manifest in long-term stress. In addition, there are other considerations, such as being wheelchair-bound after the accident or unable to drive. In the event that you are unable to go to work as a result of your disability, getting individual disability income insurance can help to support you financially whilst you are waiting for compensation.
Compensation will be received in most cases to pay for the needed physical accommodations plus the pain and suffering caused by a loss of mobility and function.
Non-economic damages like pain and suffering are difficult to quantify and to establish real value, your personal injury lawyer will total up the cost of your expenses which include medical bills, property damages, and wages lost due to the accident then multiply that by a number between 1.5 and 5, based on a scale of injury severity. The more serious your injuries, the higher that multiplier will be and that can result in a very significant increase in your compensation if you have been seriously hurt.
How Your Age Plays a Role
People who are in the prime of their career sometimes receive higher settlements then those who are either younger or older with the same injury. Why is that? It stands to reason that someone in the earning prime of their life makes more money and has more income than somebody who just entered the workforce or has already retired.
Often, these claimants are responsible for supporting an entire family and lost income can create real psychological stress. Future earning capacity as well as pain and suffering due to the loss of a career can be taken into consideration.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
You may be surprised to learn that calculations for pain and suffering also include the loss of beloved hobbies, like when an avid golfer is no longer able to hit the links. You can also claim damages if your accident causes you to lose your ability to enjoy being intimate with your spouse. This is called damages due to the loss of consortium.
Entertainers, teachers, lecturers or others who work in the public eye may also be compensated if they are disfigured and no longer wish to appear in public. This type of pain and suffering is attributed to humiliation or disfiguration.
Car accidents happen for all kinds of reasons, ranging from drunk driving to distracted driving and even driver fatigue. A National Sleep Foundation study found that as many as 100,000 auto crashes are directly the result of driver fatigue every year. If you or someone you love has been injured due to someone else’s negligence for any reason, you can rest well with your case in the hands of a good personal injury lawyer who will help you get the maximum settlement you deserve.
