When a person is injured due to the wrongful act of another, there is often a desire to take action to hold the wrongdoer responsible and prevent further bad acts, but at the end of the day your primary focus should be: how do I take action to recover the financial costs of my injury on behalf of myself and my family? A key aspect of determining the proper course of action is in calculating the value of your personal injury case. Unless you are an experienced personal injury attorney, you are unlikely to be able to do this on your own, but here are the important questions you and your attorney will work through in calculating the value of your case.
What Are the Costs of Your Medical Care over Your Lifetime?
Even if your costs were covered by insurance, you are entitled to have the defendant to pay for all costs of medical care that you will need over your lifetime resulting from the injury. The costs that you have already endured may be relatively easy to calculate, but your attorney will work with medical providers and experts to determine a reasonable estimate of future costs such as further surgeries, rehabilitation, prescriptions, and in-home care.
How Has the Injury Affected Your Income And/Or Ability to Earn?
Likewise, if your injury kept you from going into work or has otherwise affected your ability to earn money, the defendant should have to pay these costs. You can also recover future losses to your income, including the inability to work in a high-paying career that you would have otherwise pursued.
How Does Your Pain and Suffering Compare to Similar Cases?
A defendant is also liable for the pain and suffering you have had to endure and will endure over your lifetime. This is of course difficult to quantify, but, again, an experienced personal injury attorney will work with medical providers and experts to assess your pain and suffering over a lifetime and then present arguments comparing your situation to other cases involving pain and suffering awards.
Do the Circumstances Justify Punitive Damages?
Where a defendant acted in a particularly egregious manner, such as recklessly releasing a dangerous product into the marketplace that it knew could cause injury, a jury may award punitive damages to deter future conduct by other defendants. Punitive damages can vary greatly, and, when awarded, are often the largest aspect of a victim’s financial recovery.
Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys in the Inland Empire
At McCune Wright Arevalo, our personal injury team – led by partner Cory Weck, a Marine Corps officer with over 20 years of service to his country and 15 years of experience litigating personal injury cases – has repeatedly won verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients across the Inland Empire in the millions of dollars. Our attorneys understand that the fear, anxiety, and pain that you and your family are going through following a personal injury, and we are dedicated to doing everything we can to help our clients get the help they need. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced personal injury attorneys.