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Factors That Determine the Amount of Compensation for a Personal Injury Claim

Determining the Potential Value of a Personal Injury Claim

Young Woman on CrutchesWhen you have been hurt because of someone else’s carelessness or negligence, you want to know that you’ll be able to recover compensation for all your losses. Some damages can be easy to calculate, like the cost of past medical expenses. But the amount of a personal injury damage award can vary substantially, based on a number of factors.

When your lawyer evaluates the potential value of your claim, he or she will look at:

  • The type and severity of your injuries
  • The amount of insurance available to pay for your losses
  • The reliability and testimony of your witnesses
  • How clearly you can establish a cause-effect relationship between the accident and your injuries
  • Any pain and suffering directly resulting from your accident, in the past and prospectively

Lawyers customarily distinguish between economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are essentially those for which a specific dollar amount can be readily determined, such as lost wages, medical bills and costs for retrofitting your home or vehicle to accommodate your injury. Noneconomic damages include a wide range of losses, from pain and suffering (past, present and future) to loss of companionship or consortium, from emotional distress to loss of enjoyment of life.

In limited circumstances, when you can show that the defendant behaved outrageously or with total disregard for the safety of others, you may be able to recover punitive damages as well, but such an award is rare in personal injury cases.

Contact Attorney Howard D. Popper

To learn your options when you have suffered a personal injury, contact our office online or call attorney Popper at 973-993-8787. We have offices in Morristown and Newton, but will come to your home or the hospital if necessary. There is no charge for your first consultation.

We handle all personal injury claims on a contingency basis. You won’t be charged any legal fees unless attorney Popper recovers compensation for your losses.

Prior results are no guarantee of a specific outcome in your case. Your results may vary based on your particular facts and circumstances.