If you have suffered injuries because of an auto accident, boating collision, premises liability or other kind of personal injury, you could recover compensation for your medical expenses and other losses.
Many people naturally want to know how much they can recover in a personal injury claim — and the answer isn’t always clear. There are a few factors to consider when determining how much compensation is fair in any given case. Here is what you should know:
What are your financial losses?
One of the first factors to consider when identifying the value of a personal injury case is the type of losses that were caused by another person’s negligence. Several tangible and intangible losses could be recovered from a successful case, including:
- Medical expenses: Compensation for long-term medical care, future medical costs, surgery, medical equipment, disability accommodations and physical or cognitive therapy.
- Property damages: Compensation for vehicle repair or replacement costs, broken electronics or other forms of property.
- Funeral costs: Compensation for burial or cremation costs and funeral service expenses.
- Emotional turmoil: Compensation for stress, depression, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment, pain and suffering.
Identifying these losses can help determine the value of your case.
Were you at fault?
The amount of compensation you could recover in an auto accident may depend on your amount of fault. Missouri follows pure comparative negligence laws, which means that you could recover compensation even if you were 99% at fault. The amount of compensation you can recover, however, may be reduced by your amount of fault. For instance, you could recover 70% of your losses if you were only 30% at fault for a personal injury.
It generally takes experience to understand how much a given claim is worth, and experienced legal guidance can help make certain that you don’t accept a settlement that is less than you are due.