One of the most common questions that is asked after an accident is “how much is my car accident worth?”.
Those who go through the emotional and physical pain of a car accident are processing so much when they are in a crash. So, it can be very confusing to determine what their car insurance company could owe them.
It’s understandable that trying to work out how much a claim is worth can be complicated when there are medical bills, property damage, lost time at work, pain, suffering – the list goes on.
The thing is, no two cases are the same, and your car accident value will be different from someone else.
Determining Your Case Value
You should understand first that no one can make you feel guilty for pursuing a claim for your accident or injury. The incident that you’ve dealt with is traumatic, and it’s not your fault. So, it’s perfectly okay that you’d want to be compensated for your pain and suffering, especially if you lose time at work and your income. There are various factors involved in determining the dollar value of your case, and these factors are essential, so let’s take a look:
They’re All Different
Every single car accident is unique, and no two injuries are the same. Two car accidents that happen in similar circumstances will affect people in different ways. There are so many ways that a car accident can change someone’s life in a different way to another. It’s, for this reason, no one can give you a figure until they’ve gone through all the variables of your accident.
Jury’s Verdict
When you are in an auto accident, the general consensus is that your case will have more value if your injuries are serious. The worse you are affected, the more compensation you would be due, precisely because the injuries would prevent you from living the life you want to live.
Both the insurance company that you are dealing with and your lawyer would take into account how a jury would view your accident. They would be the one to negotiate your case should it end up in a courtroom. Therefore, you have to consider what a jury would think of your accident and the injuries associated.
Questions About Your Injury
There are a lot of questions that you must ask about your injury to determine whether it’s serious and these include:
- Is the injury visible?
- Did you respond to the initial treatment?
- Does the injury look serious?
- Have you been left permanently affected, in pain, or with limitations?
- Did you need surgery?
- How long is it taking you to improve?
These questions are vital to your care in the future, and they will make a difference as to how much compensation you would be due.
How Is Your Life Affected?
There are a lot of considerations here, as you need to have it determined as to how your life has been affected by the accident. Do your injuries interfere with your life and are you in continued pain? Can you continue working? Are you mentally or emotionally affected by your injury?
All of these questions can help you to consider how your life has been affected by your injuries and the accident, and this can lead you to understand what your claim could be worth.
See A Doctor
The best way to determine your injuries is to have a professional look at them. Not only can you begin to get better, but you can also start building the evidence for your claim.
If you have the backing of the medical professionals, you’re going to have a solid paper trail for the injuries that you have and have something to hand to your insurance company.
Undervaluing What Your Car Accident Settlement Is Worth
Did you know that your insurance company will likely try to undervalue your car accident settlement? Your lawyer and your insurance company will calculate your situation differently, with the insurance company coming in at a much lower number than the lawyer.
For this reason, you need to have experienced car accident professionals on your case and ensure that you get the right guidance.
How Insurers Value Your Case
There is normally an algorithm used to calculate how valuable your case is, and this algorithm is run through a computer. The calculation that your insurer comes back with will be based on other similar cases, but as you already know, every situation is different.
Common Car Accident Injuries & Their Value
Several very common accidents occur with car accidents, and they each have different settlement values. Some of those include:
- Whiplash – minor costs of bills and maybe $3,000 on top for minor whiplash. Moderate whiplash would be the same but potentially $4,000 extra. For severe whiplash, you could expect $10,000 in medical bills with possibly $5-10,000 extra.
- Joint Damage – if the treatment is easy, and with physical therapy, you could expect the cost of medical bills plus $10,000 extra. For the more serious cases, you could be looking at $25,000 or more.
- Surgery – If your injury requires you to have a surgery, you could be looking at a settlement of $50,000 or more.
- Life-threatening Injury – You could easily be looking at $100,000 plus for injuries that threaten your life.
How Will A Lawyer Help?
The more severe your injury is, the more it will help you to have a personal injury lawyer on your side to determine what your car accident settlement is worth. Having a lawyer by your side could mean the difference in several thousand dollars to your case value, and with injuries that threaten your life, you could find yourself a lot better off with the right help. An auto accident lawyer will be able to walk you through all the steps that you need to take to ensure that you are taken seriously and compensated precisely as you should be.