At Saffren and Weinberg, Marc Alan Weinberg, Attorney and Kenneth Scott Saffren, Attorney are partners. The firm’s tagline is “The People’s Voice In Court.” They make themselves available via phone at (215) 576-0100 or by email on the Saffren and Weinberg website. Saffren and Weinberg provides a no-charge, complimentary case review and answers questions for prospective clients.
Personal Injury Cases: How Much is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
Suffering from injuries in an unfortunate accident is trauma enough. If you have to also think about initiating action against the perpetrator for compensation, it is as if you are made to relive the pain all over again. But at the same time, do not let the course of action scare you.
The task at hand can be made a lot easier by employing the services of a personal injury lawyer. It becomes all the more worth fighting for your case if you have an idea about ‘how much is your injury compensation worth or the approximate amount you are entitled to.
Also, understand that in a personal injury case, it is not only the tangible losses such as medical bills, loss of wages, etc., that are taken into account but also the intangible losses such as emotional pain and the inconveniences caused.
The damages covered under personal injury
To find how much compensation you should seek, you need to know the damages that constitute accident injuries. Mainly, there are two types of damages: compensatory and punitive.
Compensatory damages: As the name suggests, the award is to provide a justified compensation to the victim after estimating the cost of the injury. Now, there are quantifiable as well as non-quantifiable damages. While quantifiable damages are easy to calculate, the non-measurable ones such as pain and stress caused to the victim can be pretty difficult to measure.
The tangible damages are:
Medical expenses: The medical cost that you have had to incur because of the accident is a part of compensatory damages. The complete expenses will be reimbursed and at the same time, if you may need any future treatment to get back to your normal life, that cost too will be estimated and included in the payment.
Loss of wages: In the course of the accident and then during the period of recovery, you will miss out on your work and thereby, the wages. This also becomes a part of the settlement.
Damage to property: If the accident has caused damage to any personal property of yours such as your house or vehicle, your claim is worth a sum that will be required for repairing or replacing it.
The intangible losses are:
Pain and distress: The pain you have had to suffer and even after recuperation, is also taken into account while calculating the claim.
Emotional trauma: In accidents, be it mild or serious, it is not just physical pain that bothers the victims, but also the psychological effect of the incident. They continue to suffer from anxiety-related problems and sleep disorders for a long time which can impact their regular life. Thus, emotional upheavals endured by the claimant are also included while awarding the claim for personal injury.
Loss of enjoyment: In case of accident injuries, you may not be able to enjoy your many daily activities and recreational pursuits for a short period or in some cases, even permanently. It is also included in the damages.
Punitive damages
Punitive damages are awarded in cases where the defendant or the one who caused the accident due to grave negligence or have behaved in an outrageous manner. This is in addition to the compensatory damages. Punitive damages are also a way to punish the defendant and to serve as a deterrent for others. A personal injury lawyer can give you a better insight on punitive damages that apply in your case.
The compensation you should be looking at
It is important to do an approximate calculation as to how much would your compensation be worth. This can be done by assigning a sum to the damages caused by the injury. You will have to take into account both physical as well as mental pain that you have suffered as a result of the injury. You should also include the monetary losses you had to bear in the form of medical costs, rehabilitation expenses later, the loss of work and so on.
If you are wondering how to calculate a sum and are sitting clueless, let us tell you that it depends on your age, the severity of injuries, duration of medical treatment and many such factors. Your best bet is to approach a Philadelphia personal injury attorney. An experienced personal injury attorney who has a long history of handling such cases can help you calculate a realistic amount.
Contact Saffren & Weinberg today at (215) 576-0100 to get all your queries about personal injury claims answered.
