A personal injury case arises when someone gets hurt and another person or company may be legally responsible for causing the harm. Some of the most common personal injury cases include car accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful deaths, and workplace accidents. However, the most abundant type of personal injury claims are automobile accidents — more than six million accidents are recorded annually.
While the vast majority of personal injury claims are resolved through a settlement, that doesn’t mean that you should be quick to accept any offer that comes your way. It isn’t unusual for an accident victim to be unhappy with the amount offered by an insurance company. Insurance companies are in business to maximize their profits and minimize claims. If you have been injured in an accident, in many cases, a personal injury attorney can negotiate with the insurer to get a more reasonable settlement for your injuries.
Personal Injury Settlements: Should You Hire a Lawyer?
Before you start the negotiation process with an insurance company, consider your situation. If you’ve incurred medical bills, missed work, and especially if you anticipate needing further medical treatment, an experienced personal injury attorney’s help would be of use to you. Unless it is a minor issue, such a case under $5,000, a personal injury lawyer may be able to do more for you.
Medical Expenses in Personal Injury Settlements
Personal injury claims often include the value of your medical expenses. The higher the value that you are seeking, the more complex the negotiation becomes. A personal injury attorney can do all of the negotiations on your behalf. Most insurance adjusters will take you seriously if you pursue a high-value claim with the help of a lawyer, making it much more difficult to obtain fair compensation.
If you anticipate that further medical treatment will be necessary such as with serious injury, your claim will include compensation for future damages. If your medical treatment will extend far into the future, or you have lasting injuries that will require ongoing treatment, your claim could include a demand for compensation for future medical expenses, future pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, or lost income. A personal injury lawyer has expertise in calculating and negotiating for the maximum amount of compensation in these complex areas.
Pain and Suffering in Personal Injury Settlements
There are no specific rules around how pain and suffering is calculated in a claim. Insurance companies look at the severity and permanency of your bodily injuries. In other words, you will be entitled to more money for pain and suffering if you suffered a serious burn than if you bruised your leg. The more severe and permanent your injury is, the more pain and suffering you will experience.
Insurance companies typically multiply the cost of medical bills by a number between one and five to calculate “pain and suffering.” The more severe and permanent the injury, the higher the multiplier. Because of the complexity and judgment required to estimate pain and suffering, a skilled personal injury attorney is imperative to get the compensation you deserve. Their experience will help to be prepared to explain and justify your calculation.
Brandon J. Broderick, Personal Injury Lawyer
There is no law requiring you to have a lawyer when filing a personal injury claim after an accident. However, working with experienced personal injury attorneys can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. Why risk being unfairly compensated and not having recourse to fix it? When you hire a personal injury lawyer from our team, you pay nothing upfront. We work on contingent fees that are only collected if we win your case. If we don’t win, you don’t pay.
Contact Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney, at Law, for a free consultation. With our proven track record of success with personal injury settlements and our commitment to client care, we can turn your setback into a comeback.