People who have just gone through a traumatic event like a serious car wreck in Virginia need the help and support of their family and friends to recover emotionally, as well as the best medical treatment to get back to their former physical condition.
At the early stage in this process, many car accident victims are still reluctant to hire the services of an attorney to seek compensation. When they do talk to a lawyer, one of the first questions they ask is, "What is my case worth?"
The question involves a lot of factors, all of which point to the fact that, in serious car crash cases, the support of an experienced, focused and determined law firm will be critical to receiving the settlement you deserve.
What are the factors that influence the size of a settlement or award?
- First, there are factors which determine the size of the compensatory damages, which are the expenses and losses you suffered that can be quantified. Examples include:
- medical expenses
- future healing therapies
- medical care or assistance
- repair or replacement of your car
- wage losses
- other professional losses directly related to the crash.
Compensation for past expenses and losses is easy to calculate. However, the evaluation of future needs, such as continuous medical treatment or work incapacity, is much more difficult. Only highly skilled personal injury law firms can guide you through such a complicated process.
- The second category includes general damages, in which the victim is compensated for the non-monetary aspects of the harm suffered. Generally termed "pain and suffering" this category includes compensation for:
- physical and emotional pain
- disability or impairment
- loss of companionship
- loss of consortium
General damages are far more difficult to translate into a monetary value. This is, again, where the attorney's skill and experience plays a crucial role. The particular instances of the victim, the defendant, the court, and awards in similar cases are also important in this category.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Virginia car, truck or motorcycle accident, please contact our Warrenton or Culpeper accident attorneys today for a free discussion of your accident case.
