Why You Shouldn’t Trust the Internet to Calculate the Value of Your Personal Injury Claim

Despite what you may see on many car accident attorneys’ websites, the internet can’t really tell you what your personal injury claim is worth. There are unique factors in every personal injury case, and these factors could negatively or positively affect your claim.

If you were injured in a car crash in Gainesville and are curious about what a potential personal injury claim might be worth, you should talk to a car crash lawyer. The Florida personal injury attorneys at Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano P.A. have been helping accident victims for many years and know how to help you fight for maximum compensation. Keep reading to find out more about what factors may impact the value of a personal injury claim.

There Is No Formula to Determine the Value of a PI Claim

In most personal injury cases, the value of the claim is determined by the defendant’s insurance company, but the evidence they review can be impacted by the actions of a skilled personal injury attorney who can hire experts to establish fault and damages. For example, they may retain an accident reconstruction engineer to establish the defendant’s fault. Medical experts can help document the injuries and discuss future costs. Your lawyer can also retain life care planners, vocational experts, and economists to establish the economic value of your losses. 

The value of a personal injury claim is determined by various factors such as the extent of the losses the injured individual has sustained, whether or not fault is contested, and the evidence available in the case. The value of a claim is also influenced by the value a victim is willing to accept and what the insurance company is willing to pay. For these reasons, there’s no definite formula to determine the value of a personal injury claim.

Factors That Affect the Value of Your Claim

There are many different factors that can affect the value of a personal injury claim, such as:

• Fault of the defendant driver – The more obvious the fault, often the more valuable the case.
• Type of injuries you suffered – In general, the more serious your injuries are and the more they impact your daily life, the more you can potentially receive in compensation.
• Force of impact – The more dramatic the property damage, the more valuable the case.
• Cost of medical expenses – The value of a personal injury claim is determined by economic and non-economic factors. Among the economic factors, your medical expenses are key, as you will likely be able to recover more compensation if you have significant medical bills.
• Type of treatment received – If you’re going to need surgery or long-term treatment because of your injuries, the value of your personal injury claim usually goes up.
• Whether the victim’s life is back to normal – If your injuries severely impact your daily life, you can usually seek more compensation than if your life has mostly returned to normal after the accident.
• Objective evidence of the injury – To recover compensation for an injury claim, you need proof of what those injuries are. Without medical records documenting your injuries, you will have a much harder time recovering fair compensation.
• Whether the victim contributed to the accident – Under Florida law, if you are found partly responsible for your injuries in an accident, your compensation may be reduced by your degree of fault. For example, if you are 25 percent liable for the accident, your compensation will likely be reduced by 25 percent. (Note that Florida has a no-fault law for auto accidents, which means accident victims are typically covered by their own insurance if their injuries and losses are minor.)

Talk to a Gainesville Personal Injury Lawyer at Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano

The Gainesville personal injury lawyers at Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano P.A. have over 100 years of combined experience, so we know how to help accident victims pursue maximum compensation for their claim. Our Gainesville accident lawyers can help you gather evidence, deal with the insurance companies, file the necessary paperwork, and more as your case progresses. For more information, contact us today for a free case review.