Suffering a personal injury can lead to serious impacts on someone’s quality of life. Depending on the type of injury, it could make it hard for someone to go to work or school. This can make it hard for someone to keep up with the daily routine and provide for his or her family. Fortunately, there are trained professionals who are willing to help. Working with a personal injury lawyer can help someone seek the compensation that he or she deserves. When an individual files a claim in a personal injury case, there are a few factors that are going to impact the settlement or verdict.
First, the severity of the injury is going to play a major role. The more serious the injury, the bigger the potential settlement. For example, if someone slips and falls, leading to a broken wrist, this is a moderate injury. On the other hand, if someone slips and falls and suffers a traumatic brain injury, this has the potential to be a catastrophic brain injury. A brain injury is far more serious than a broken wrist. Therefore, the potential settlement in a traumatic brain injury case is going to be much greater.
The next factor that is going to play a major role is the treatment and recovery process. This relates to the medical costs that someone might incur as a result of the injury. For example, the broken wrist above may require surgery. There might also be a few office visits during the recovery process. These costs might be covered by insurance and could be minimal. On the other hand, the brain injury example from above has the potential to impact someone for the rest of his or her life. This means multiple possible surgeries, a stay in the hospital, possible prescription medications, and multiple visits to specialists. The costs are going to add up and the out of pocket expenses have the potential to be substantial. Therefore, the settlement or verdict is going to be much higher.
Finally, the disruption that these injuries pose to someone’s life will also be a factor in the case. For example, if someone suffers an injury and ends up missing a substantial amount of time from work, the potential for lost wages will also be factored into any settlement that stems from the case. If are visits to therapists and extra equipment that has to be purchased as a result of the injury, this will also contribute to the settlement. The more disruptions there are, the greater the settlement.
These are a few of the most important factors that are going to play a role in a personal injury case. Be sure to work with a trained legal professional on any personal injury case.
