Car accident cases are not an exact science nor are they a clear-cut path to a preset amount of compensation. Each case is a unique circumstance involving specific drivers and vehicles. In order to determine how much a personal injury car accident claim is worth, calculations must be made based on multiple factors. Any compensation would be based on a mixture of economic and non-economic components.
How to Calculate Damages?
The economic portion of a car accident claim typically involves distinct points of compensation. The first component is medical expenses based on services or treatments already sought. Property damages to cover repairing or replacing automobiles is a large secondary component to a case’s worth. Since many injuries can be debilitating, compensation can also be recovered for lost earnings or income during periods where work was missed. This includes future lost income based on work absences accredited to ongoing treatments or changes in employment due to an inability to work in your current position.1 Finally, if injuries are to a degree that ongoing medical treatment is a likely future cost then estimations of the future medical treatment are a final component to economic damage calculations.2 Non-economic damages to cover pain and suffering for serious, long-lasting, painful, or non-physical injuries also are calculated into the total worth of a car accident case.3
What Factors Affect Compensation or Damages?
The calculation of economic and non-economic damages can be both negatively or positively affected by a range of factors. Some of the factors that can raise compensation during a car accident case include if a driver has no shared fault in the accident, the other driver is not credible or sympathetic, or witnesses support your recollections of the accident.4 On the other side, there are also several factors that lower compensation such as a driver filing the claim who has comparative or contributory fault in the accident, disorganized or lacking evidence, or no witnesses who support your account of the events leading up to the collision.5
Contact an Experienced St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you have been in a car accident it is important to discuss the circumstances of your collision with an experienced auto accident attorney who can help you to determine what claims should be filed. It is impossible to know that exact dollar amount your car accident case is worth without discussing all of the contributing factors. Contacting the experienced attorneys at the The Bruning Law Firm Law Firm is the first step towards ensuring your rights and interests as a victim of a car accident are protected by recovering the maximum amount of compensation. To contact an auto accident attorney for a free consultation please feel free to call the The Bruning Law Firm trial attorneys at 314-735-8100.
LET US GET STARTED ON YOUR ST. LOUIS CAR ACCIDENT CASE TODAY
If you or someone you care about has been seriously injured in an auto accident, contact The Bruning Law Firm today. We provide the comprehensive, professional legal representation you deserve at a time when you need it most.
Call or contact our office online today to schedule a free consultation.
References:
- http://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/personal-injury/calculator.html
- http://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/personal-injury/factors-affect-value-settlement.html
