A personal injury can cause considerable stress and mental anguish, medical expenses, and lost wages. In cases where someone else is responsible for these damages, you can file a legal claim against them; but, many plaintiffs are unaware of how much their case could be worth. Below are six common factors that influence the value of a claim.

What Affects the Value of Your Claim?

1. Medical Expenses

Medical care can be costly, and insurance companies don't always approve the treatments. Figuring all such expenses into your claim will ensure you have sufficient resources to pay for necessary solutions without going into debt. In fact, most include the cost of medical care even if you had to pay nothing out of pocket.

2. Property Damage

This typically applies only to auto accident injury cases. Add into the claim's value the costs to fix any damage your vehicle sustained during the incident. Even if the damage was minor and the fix was easy and cheap, you deserve to be reimbursed for whatever amount you had to pay. If your car was totaled, add to the claim the value of your vehicle.

3. Lost Earnings

Lost wages can profoundly affect your ability to support yourself and loved ones. If you've had to take time off of work to recover, tally up all the lost earnings you've had to forgo and incorporate them into the total dollar amount of the personal injury claim. If you had to use up any vacation days or other types of paid time off, consider those days unpaid and add them to your claim's value as well.

4. Future Lost Income

After a devastating injury, many must take a sizable chunk of time off work for medical treatment and recovery. Consult with your health care providers and attorney to estimate how much time you may need to take off in the future. Then, calculate the wages you'll lose as a result and include them as part of the legal claim.

5. Approximate Future Medical Expenses

This one also requires a bit of estimating. If you expect the medical care to be ongoing for the foreseeable future, figure out how much these treatments will cost. By adding them to the injury lawsuit, you ensure you have the necessary funds to recover fully.

6. Pain & Suffering

Pain and suffering are often difficult to assign a dollar value to. From a legal perspective, these are known as non-economic or general damages. To arrive at a figure, insurance adjusters usually add up all the other types of damages, as specified above, and then multiply the total by a number from 1.5 to 5. Typically, the more serious and life-limiting your injuries are, the higher the multiplier you choose.

If you’re ready to file a personal injury claim, turn to the seasoned team at Love-Sloan Law, LLC. With over 20 years of experience serving the Rock Hill, SC, area in a variety of injury-related matters, they offer quality legal guidance and representation through every step of the process to ensure maximum compensation. Call (803) 326-0000 or visit them online to schedule an appointment today.