Personal injury cases can be a complicated process and the outcome usually depends on the facts of the case. It’s difficult to put a value on someone’s life, but it’s natural to wonder what your case is worth and how much compensation you’ll get after suffering injuries due to someone else’s negligence. How you handle your settlement is crucial if you’re working toward receiving fair compensation. Experienced lawyers can do many things to increase your settlement and ensure your case is resolved on fair terms.
Here’s what you need to know about how personal injury lawyers settle their cases.
How a lawyer can settle your injury case?
Firstly, your lawyer needs to establish your case to prove that the other party was negligent, although it may not go to trial. This means they’ll have to carefully investigate the claim to make sure that it can withstand in court, and detail the damages that resulted from your injuries. There are several steps lawyers usually take to preserve evidence, and you must save evidence that may be important to your case such as pictures, surveillance video, etc. Also, with the help of medical professionals, you should document your injuries.
Note that settlements may vary depending on where you live, which means, cases are handled and resolved differently. Let’s say you live in California, and you’re looking for an experienced personal injury law firm in Sacramento to help with your case. Look for lawyers that have handled various personal injury cases from orthopedic to catastrophic and fatal injuries. Whether you’ve been injured in a vehicle accident or you’ve been injured in another person’s property, they help you figure out what evidence you need so they can prepare your case.
Benefits of hiring a personal injury lawyer
Accidents can be difficult to overcome, especially if they resulted in serious physical injuries as well as emotional stress. A personal injury lawyer doesn’t just help you recover compensation for the damages but they also understand the stress of dealing with an insurance claim. There are numerous benefits of hiring an experienced lawyer to handle your injury claim and some of them include protection from the insurance company, valuing your injury claim, and more.
They also understand legal requirements so they can prove liability. The legal elements of your claim may vary depending on where you live and the law that applies to your case. For example, in the state of Colorado, if you’re found not to be at fault at all, you’ll be rewarded 100% of the claim amount. Note that it would be best to file a claim as soon as possible, and you might want to search for the best Denver personal injury attorney to help you get the compensation for the injuries you deserve.
Common personal injury claim actions
There are countless incidents and events that could give rise to an injury claim, and any type of injury to a person can form the basis of such actions. Personal injury lawyers handle various cases including vehicle accidents, product liability, premises liability, assault and battery, dog bites, wrongful death, and other intentional acts. Most cases proceed on theories of negligence, so it’s necessary to set up a few things to demonstrate liability on the part of the defendant.
Apart from negligence, there are other personal injury actions such as theft, trespass, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, and others. Injuries sustained from dangerous products can also be subject to a personal injury claim, under the theory that the manufacturer was negligent in the design. When a large number of people suffer similar harm after using a specific product, the settlement award may rise to extremely significant levels.
Categories of compensation
Your injuries and losses, also known as damages, in personal injury law form a basis for calculating the amount of money that would be appropriate to compensate you. Keep in mind that unless you fully understand what damages are, you cannot appropriately value a personal injury case.
Economic damages
These types of damages are designed to reimburse victims for their financial losses. They can be easy to calculate, especially if you keep thorough personal records of all you’ve spent or lost due to your injuries. The amounts can include payments for medical bills, lost earnings, rehabilitation costs, reduced future earning capacity, and such.
Non-economic damages
They’re meant to provide compensation for things like suffering and physical pain, loss of familial or marital relationships, mental and emotional trauma, and similar categories of damages. The difference in calculating the value of non-economic damages is a bit more complicated than economic ones. It requires a combination of experience, research, and honest assessment.
Punitive damages
Punitive damages are designed to solely punish an egregiously negligent party, and in most cases aren’t part of settlement calculations. Although they may sometimes be awarded in cases where the defendant’s conduct is considered to be particularly offensive and deserves punishment.
In closing
Hiring the right lawyer for your case is essential if you want to receive fair payment for your personal injury claim. Having a skilled negotiator on your side can make all the difference, especially if they correctly value your injury claim. In addition, they’ll know how to use the evidence to maximize non-economic damages.
