One of the most common questions our St. Louis car accident lawyers get even before taking a case is “how much is my accident worth?”. This is totally understandable considering that people want to know if the hassle of suing someone and fighting a battle in court is worth their time and effort, which are already reduced from suffering injuries in an accident.
“It is important to keep in mind that a more reliable way to calculate what your accident claim is worth is to personally speak with an experienced attorney. “
While no one will really be able to guarantee an exact sum, law firms can commit to bringing your settlement in a certain financial range, based on facts and evidence. There is a way of calculating a final settlement, and it takes several variables into account. Some law firms have included a “pain and suffering calculator” on their website so that you can immediately get an estimate closer to a realistic result.
Keep in mind that to get an accurate result, you need to correctly assess your own losses to input precise information and to consider your state’s laws. It is important to keep in mind that a more reliable way to calculate what your accident claim is worth is to personally speak with an experienced attorney.
Settlement Calculator: the Variables
We will look into the variables that will be taken into consideration when an initial estimation of your settlement is calculated.
Special Damages: The variables that fall into this category are easily quantifiable and more palpable. They are mostly the economic damages that resulted from your accident, like (past and future,) property damage, lost income, etc. They are all calculated based on the impact the accident has had on your life and what it made you lose. This is why going to the doctor is extremely important, and it will be accounted for even when you don’t pay from your own pocket.
Pain and Suffering: This category of damages is trickier to demonstrate, as it contains the amount of emotional damage and other non-economic damages that you want to get compensation for. For example, if you suffer from PTSD after the accident, you can request compensation for it, that will be included in the settlement.
Multiplier: After all these costs are calculated, a multiplier is added, which ranges from 1.5 upwards. It can even be a multiplier of 5 or even more if you had a really bad injury. This number will increase proportionately to the seriousness of the injuries and damage.
Pure Comparative Negligence: In states like Missouri, the settlement value will also be reduced proportionately if you had a certain percentage of fault in causing the accident. Whether it is 10% or 80%, you will receive a settlement calculated accordingly. If you are in a different state, you need to check the at-fault rules, since it’s possible to not get anything at all if you have any influence on the accident.
Nuisance Settlement: This is what we call a very small amount of money offered to the complainant if it turns out that he is not entitled to any amount of settlement money at all, because he was completely at fault, he had no injuries, or his injuries were not caused by that particular accident. The insurance company may give an amount of $500-750 just to make the complaint go away.
To learn more about what you may be entitled to after a St. Louis car accident, get in touch with an experienced car crash lawyer. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4242.
