Personal Injury Case Value

Answer:

When we have clients come in who have a personal injury case of any sort, they often want to know what the value of their claim is. That can vary based upon many different sources. Georgia law does not provide any type of formula that tells what someone is entitled to when they have been injured by the negligence of another person. If you have a viable personal injury action, you’re entitled to special damages, which are the medical expenses and lost wages that you have incurred, and non-economic damages, which is pain and suffering and the disruption of your life. When determining the value of your claim, it all comes down to the amount of these expenses, along with how significantly you were injured. We’re looking at the severity and whether your injury is permanent or not. Permanent injuries have a lot more value than non-permanent injuries do.

In addition to what the value of your injury is, you also have to look at the amount of available insurance coverage. It doesn’t really matter how much value your injury has if there’s not enough insurance coverage to support paying you that amount. You could have a million dollar claim with someone who has $25,000 in liability insurance, and the likelihood is you’re going to be capped at that $25,000 regardless of how much value your injury has. The important thing to do is, at the time that you are injured, consult a personal injury attorney right away who can help you work through these issues and make sure to maximize the value of your case.