If you have been injured because of someone else’s negligence or faulty product, you might have a great case for a lawsuit. The amount of money you can receive in a personal injury lawsuit isn’t a set amount and has a wide range. There are several things that determine the amount of money you get. The most important thing you can do though is to document your injuries.
Seek Immediate Medical Treatment
After an injury happens, you should seek medical treatment. Don’t try to be tough and get better on your own. It’s a good idea to be looked over by a professional for documentation’s sake. Creating an initial medical record for the injuries also helps your doctor keep an updated document of progress and recovery. It also helps document limitations, pain and discomfort, and permanent health problems that might stem from the initial injury.
Keep a Daily Record
From the very day that an accident happens, you should be keeping a record of your injuries each day. Many times, you go to the hospital and only think about the expenses that you pay for treating that day. Injuries don’t all show up at the same time though. For instance, if you fall and break your arm, you might not notice until days later that you also bruised your back or ribs in the process. There are more injuries and expenses that are related to an accident than just the initial treatment. Other details to record are:
- Doctor appointments
- Medications taken (prescription and non-prescription)
- Mental Issues such as confusion or other mental impairments
- Sleeplessness
- Therapies to aid in recovery
- Counseling related to the accident, including PTSD
- Increased levels of stress
- Headaches
- Nausea
Be thorough in your record. It is better to have too much information than not enough to support your claims. If you aren’t sure that it will matter, write it down anyway.
Calculating Pain and Suffering
After an injury, an insurance company will try and settle with you. The initial amount is often low, and they hope to capitalize on your willingness to take the first amount. When you hire a personal injury attorney, personal injury compensation amounts are higher in the end. Giving your attorney all your documentation helps them to help you. Whether your case goes to court or not, having a record of facts is an essential part of supporting your case.
A record of injuries is a great way to help calculate pain, but what about suffering? There are different kinds, including emotional pain. Take a calendar and make note of every family event or significant milestone you have had to miss because of your injury. Most people acknowledge that some injuries can prevent a return to your job, which is suffering, but what if you broke your arm so significantly that you can never hold your grandchild again? Some types of pain and suffering impact personal relationships, anguish, and missing out on your typical life. These types of suffering are all valid and worthy of compensating.
There is no calculator or chart that the law uses to calculate the exact amount of money you should be awarded. There are also many different types of lawsuits you can file, depending on the case. Keeping detailed documentation about everything you go through helps your case tremendously. Taking the time to create a record is your best chance to get the amount of money that you deserve.
Recent Comments