If a personal injury has turned your life upside down, you are now in the process of learning exactly how to respond. From mounting medical bills and lost income to chronic pain, the consequences of a personal injury entitle you to receive financial compensation for your suffering. A personal injury attorney can help you navigate the complex legal system in order to fight for the compensation you deserve.
So how much can you expect to receive? There is no single answer, but by gathering all of the information related to your personal injury and using basic personal injury guidelines, you can calculate an estimate.
First, Calculate Your Medical Care
The most common personal injuries require some type of medical care. The portion of your personal injury compensation meant to cover your medical care will most likely include money for the following costs:
- Existing bills for treatment
- Prescription medication costs, now and in the future
- Medical examinations in the future
- Therapies and tests
The extent of your injuries will determine whether your medical expenses will continue for a few months, a few years, or the rest of your life. The costs will add up accordingly.
Calculate Your Lost Income
Most personal injury victims are not healthy enough to return to work in the weeks or months following the injury. Some, like people who sustain traumatic brain injuries or amputations, are unable to ever return to their former jobs.
A large portion of your compensation settlement will include funds to cover the wages that you lost. Evaluate the value of the income you lost and will lose in the future as a result of your personal injury. Add this amount to the value of your medical bills, and you’ll be one step closer to identifying the value of your personal injury claim.
Pain and Suffering
The pain and suffering that you experience cannot be calculated with the mathematical precision of lost income or medical bills. Pain and suffering are subjective impacts of injury, so a multiplier is used to add a fair value to your overall settlement based upon the level of your pain and suffering.
As the name suggests, the value of your other quantifiable expenses is multiplied by the multiplier to create the total compensation amount you deserve. The average multiplier is 2.5, but your exact figure can range based upon your experiences.
It takes an experienced and talented personal injury attorney to most effectively advocate for the full value of compensation that you deserve. Call (561) 406-8039 now to schedule your free case review at Smith, Gaskill & Shenkman now so that South Florida’s leading personal injury attorneys can help you turn your life back around.