Personal Injury

Personal Injury Settlements – What You Need to Know

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Personal Injury Settlements - What You Need to Know | Citadel Law Firm

Personal Injury Settlements: What You Need to Know

Getting injured is never something to hope for, but it’s dealing with the aftermath of a personal injury that can make things even more complicated. Medical bills, taking time off work, and enduring pain and suffering are all things that unfortunately need to be considered after a personal injury. What do you need to know when you are filing a personal injury claim? How do personal injury
settlements work? Here’s what you need to know about your personal injury.

Why file a personal injury claim?

Personal injury claims can be filed for many different reasons. Some of the most common types of cases include auto accidents, premise liability, slip and fall accidents, dog bites, medical malpractice, and elder abuse and neglect. Typically, if you’re injured due to someone else’s negligence—on their property, in an auto accident or because of medical malpractice—their insurance will cover the charges. However, even if you have a strong claim, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be given as much money as you hope for.

What affects your settlement?

Factors that will affect your settlement are things like whether or not the injury is permanent, how long the recovery period will be, whether or not it will require long-term treatment, as well as if it will disrupt your regular life to the point of not being able to work.
Insurance claim adjusters are trained to have their company’s best interest at heart rather than yours. They’ll, unfortunately, work hard to dish out as little money as possible for your injury. This is one reason why having an experienced personal injury lawyer in your corner is so important. They can look over your settlement offer and help make sure you receive the compensation you deserve.

How is a personal injury settlement calculated?

There are two major categories that insurance companies use to organize damages into. Special damages are measurable costs—things like receipts, invoices, and wage statements are used to determine the amount. If property is damaged and needs to be repaired or replaced that’s another cost that should be taken into account. If you’re injured to the point of needing childcare for your kids, those costs should be factored in as well.

In addition to the hard costs, general damages compensate the victim for their experiences such as physical pain and suffering, as well as emotional distress and mental anguish. What negative emotions are you experiencing and why? When explaining this distress to an adjuster, consider things like the fear of potentially losing your job because you’re unable to work, the inability to sleep, or the anguish of not being able to hold your baby.

A Final Note

Personal injuries are never easy, and the struggle with settlement offers after the fact causes even more stress and difficulty. Consider hiring a skilled personal injury attorney to help support you and ensure you get the compensation you deserve.

Call Citadel Law Firm, PLLC today at (480)565-8020 to schedule your free consultation, or click here. We will be pleased to help you with your case.