Unfortunately, you won’t receive your compensation immediately. Many accident victims suffer both from their injuries as well as the stress of having to pay for their medical bills. Before settling their case, many accident victims want to know the value of their case.
Meldon Law Firm in Gainesville offers free consultations for those who are curious about the amount they can expect to receive in a settlement of a personal injury case. Meldon Law Firm will have one of their lawyers evaluate your case to ensure that you get compensation for your damages.
Compensation and Personal Injury Claims: A Comprehensive Look
You’ll need to hire an attorney who has experience in the type of personal injury case you have if you want to receive maximum compensation. You’ll likely miss out on the full value of your case if you don’t have their help. Insurance companies say investigators are hired to reduce liability and costs. Without a legal team you will most likely not be able to claim everything.
You can claim compensation for a variety of damages, depending on the specifics of your injury. Your personal injury lawyer can help you identify all the things that should be included in a compensation claim. Compensation damages can be both economic and non-economic.
What are Economic Damages?
Economic damages in a Florida personal injuries lawsuit are financial losses that can be easily quantified. These losses were caused by the accident or the injuries. You can claim economic damages for losses that you have already suffered or those expected to occur in the future. Your attorney will add up all of your expenses, past, present, and future, to determine the value of your economic damages. Economic damages include:
* Medical bills from the past and future – This includes not only costs for surgeries, doctor’s appointments, x-rays, but also any current or anticipated injury-related expenses. Mobility aids, travel costs to and from medical visits, and prescription medication are examples of these expenses.
* Costs of mental health services. Many victims of serious accidents experience psychological trauma, such as nightmares or PTSD. The cost of mental health counseling can be claimed by plaintiffs.
* Lost wages, past and future – Economic damages include lost wages resulting from the accident as well as expected losses. Loss of wages compensation may be large depending on how long it takes the victim to recover.
* Household Services – If a victim is unable to maintain their home and needs the assistance of homecare professionals, then these costs can be included in the economic losses. House cleaning, lawn maintenance, and home healthcare are examples of household services.
What are non-economic damages?
Damages that cannot be quantified are non-economic. These are also the damages that may be challenged by a defendant’s lawyer. A personal injury lawyer can prove their validity. Even though there is no bill to prove these damages, they can be valued. Non-economic damages include:
* Physical Pain and Suffering
* Loss in consortium
* Mental anguish
* Disfigurement and scarring
* Loss in enjoyment of life
* Disabilities and permanent impairment
Non-economic damages do not have a set amount. They are based on factors such as the severity of the injury, the length of treatment, and its impact on a victim’s quality-of-life. In the multiplier method, non-economic damages are assigned a multiplier between 1,5 and 5. The higher the multiplier, the more severe the impact on the victim’s quality of life. A catastrophic change is assigned a 5 multiplier.
If the physical pain and suffering is valued at $50,000, and the multiplier is 2, then the compensation will be $100,000.
Per diem is another way to calculate non-economic damages. This method involves multiplying the daily value of the loss by the number of days that it is reasonably expected the victim will suffer. If the victim’s daily rate is $250, and it is anticipated that they will suffer for 200 days, the value of the loss is $50,000.
Florida Personal Injury Compensation Calculation
In a Florida personal injuries case, you are not only looking for justice, but also compensation for your losses. They are divided into two types – economic and not-economic. Medical bills and expenses related to your physical recovery can be easily quantified. However, non-economic damage is more difficult to quantify because the legal team of the defendant often contests them.
You’ll need to hire a personal injury lawyer with experience in your particular type of accident if you want to receive compensation for your entire damages. You’ll never get the most compensation if you don’t have an expert by your side.