It is normal for the accident victim to ask the lawyer about various aspects of the case and the potential claim process when they meet the personal injury lawyer for the first time. However, in the first meeting it is not only difficult but impossible to put a dollar amount on the case. The injury lawyer needs to look at the nuances of the case and then give his or her opinion on the matter.
To be able to calculate the damages of the accident takes a lot of time and proper investigation about the case. Apart from the doctors that are treating the accident victim, many specialists and experts will need to be consulted to determine the effect of the accident, on the injured individual’s future life. The whole process is time consuming and can take a few months and that is why it is important to hire the services of a Personal Injury Lawyer in Richmond Hill.
Contributory factors in damage assessment
The tow most common category of accidents include slip and fall and vehicular accidents. Generally, the damages are awarded to the accident victim by the perpetuator of the accident or the legally at-fault party or their insurance company. Usually, an out of court settlement is negotiated as a settlement and there is no need for the case to go on trial. To get the highest amount of compensation for your case, there are several factors that are considered. These include:
• Severity of the sustained injuries
• Cause of the injuries
• After effects of the injuries on the victim’s future quality of life
Based on the medical reports of the plaintiff, the lawyer will compare this case to those handled in the past and get a clearer idea about the settlement amount. It is essential to know more about compensatory damages that the injured victim of the accident is asking for. The compensatory damages are meant to help you tide over the losses incurred in and after the accident. This is meant to give a dollar value to the injuries both physical and mental, pain and suffering that you have undergone, apart from the damage to property that you have to claim. The damages are easy to calculate that already have a sum assigned such as the medical costs, damage to property while for other non-pecuniary damages, the lawyer will use other methods to come up with a figure to claim. These include:
• lost income
• pain and suffering
• home maintenance/housekeeping
• medical expenses
It is best to hire a good injury lawyer that has handled cases similar to yours in the past and they can help you get a fair amount of compensation as settlement of the case.