When you’ve been injured in a car accident or other accident, these are important questions. You may be faced with a growing pile of medical bills at the same time you’re missing paychecks. So, it’s understandable that you’d want to know when you can expect compensation and how much you’ll receive.
No personal injury lawyer can give you a categorical answer to these questions. In fact, if a personal injury attorney promises you a particular outcome or a quick settlement, you should be concerned. There is no way to guarantee a specific dollar amount, and the best way to ensure a quick settlement is to accept too little. However, an experienced Jacksonville personal injury lawyer will be able to give you information to help you understand what to expect, such as:
- The factors that will determine the value of your case
- How similar cases have settled or been decided by local juries
- The factors that will impact the settlement timeline
- The average timeline for settlement of cases like yours
In this post, we’ll give you a general overview of those factors, and of why it’s so important not to rush your settlement. But that’s no substitute for personalized advice and information from an experienced personal injury attorney in Jacksonville. Schedule a free consultation to get more specific information about the factors impacting your personal injury claim. You can get started right now by calling (904) 251-1111 or filling out our contact form.
Holt Harrell: How much is my case worth?
Factors Impacting the Value of Your Personal Injury Claim
Here are some of the most common factors in determining the value of a personal injury claim. You will notice that some are related to your actual damages, while others are external factors. Of course, this isn’t a complete list, and not every item on this list will necessarily apply in your case.
- The nature and extent of your injuries
- Whether your injuries are temporary or permanent
- Your age at the time of the injury, particularly if you face long-term limitations
- Your income and earning capacity prior to the injury, and how it was affected
- Other costs associated with your treatment, recovery, and adaptations necessary because of the injuries
- Intangible damages such as pain and suffering
- Whether punitive damages may be available
- Whether you were partly responsible
Indirect factors that may affect your settlement offer include:
- The amount of insurance coverage available
- The resources the responsible party may have available for direct compensation
- The insurance company and its lawyers involved in your case
- Whether your personal injury lawyer is known to be willing to fight your case in court
Many of these factors are known when you first meet with a Jacksonville personal injury lawyer. But, some of the most important variables may not yet be known. For example, if you are still recovering, it may be difficult to predict how fully you will recover or what you can expect in terms of future medical expenses. In that case, settling too quickly could mean your settlement isn’t adequate to cover all of your damages. You could even end up having to cover large future medical expenses yourself. So, a personal injury attorney who truly has your best interests at heart will take the time necessary to make sure you and they fully understand the extent of your damages before accepting a settlement.
Factors Impacting Your Personal Injury Timeline
A relatively small, relatively straightforward personal injury claim may be settled in just a few months. A large, complex case with extensive damages and contested liability may take years to settle. Most cases land somewhere in the middle–often somewhere near the one year mark.
A case will often take longer to resolve if:
- There are complicated liability issues
- There are multiple responsible parties
- Your medical recovery is a long process, and it takes time to get tothe maximum expected recovery
- Your claim depends partly on aggravation of a pre-existing medical condition, or there is another reason for the insurance company to try to contest causation
- You have ongoing pain or limitations from hard-to-document injuries like soft tissue injuries
It’s also worth noting that the sooner you hire a personal injury lawyer, the sooner the process gets underway. Contacting an attorney right away after your injuries also helps your case by allowing your attorney the best opportunity to gather evidence and speak with witnesses. Over time, physical evidence can be lost or altered, witnesses can become more difficult to locate, and memories fade.
When you hire a personal injury attorney at Harrell & Harrell, you can count on our commitment to getting you the maximum possible compensation. Of course, the insurance company will be working just as hard to minimize your settlement to increase their bottom line. In fact, insurance company lawyers will sometimes try to stall your claim to push you to settle for less than you deserve. That means the most effective representation sometimes requires patience.
It may also require the willingness to take your case to trial if that turns out to be the best option for you. Some personal injury law firms make their money by settling claims as quickly as possible, in some cases for less than they’re worth. Insurance companies and their lawyers know which lawyers will virtually always accept a settlement–even if the number is too low–and which will fight.
What Can You Expect When You Consult a Personal Injury Lawyer?
The right Jacksonville personal injury lawyer will have enough knowledge of and experience with cases like yours to give you a general idea of what claims like yours have been worth, and the factors that will affect damages in your case. The right lawyer will also know about how long it typically takes to settle similar cases, and when the timeline is typically shorter or longer. However, a reputable personal injury attorney will never guarantee you a specific amount of money.
To learn more about how a personal injury attorney at Harrell & Harrell can help, call us right now at (904) 251-1111.