Personal Injury
Note – while we can consult on your potential personal injury case, we are no longer accepting personal injury clients so that we can focus on criminal law. We recommend you visit Mullen & Mullen Law Firm for your injury or car accident case.
Tim George has represented people injured in motor vehicle accidents caused by the carelessness of others since 1992. He knows that the recklessness of a drunk driver or the mere carelessness of a driver exceeding the speed limit or distracted by his cellular telephone, can cause collisions in little more than an instant. Even more important, he knows that one moment of negligence can, for an innocent and injured person, last a lifetime. The loss of life—even the loss of good health—is priceless. And even an award of money damages when a loved one has been lost or a permanent and serious injury has occurred cannot make everything right. The foregoing values define how he approaches cases of this nature.
How Do Lawyers Determine the Value of My Case?
There are several elements of damages that courts allow plaintiffs to recover when they are the victim of a personal injury. Pain and suffering and mental anguish are in a category called general damages. Lost wages, and medical expenses are called special damages.
The value of general damages in most personal injury cases are determined by a combination of the lawyer’s past experience with the same type of cases and by reviewing the case law on similar types of injuries. Virtually every conceivable type of personal injury has been previously decided by juries and courts prior to the time you filed your case.
Thus, a range between high awards and low awards exists which establish the value of the case. Ultimately, if a jury or judge awards an amount which is significantly higher or lower than the prior cases awarded, the court of appeals can increase or decrease award. In fact, for most injuries the courts of appeal have established a minimum to be awarded for pain and suffering damages when that injury occurs.
The courts also establish rules for recovery of special damages like lost wages. Many states allow the plaintiff to recover the gross amount of the wages they would have received before taxes would be taken out. However, future lost wage awards are usually required to be reduced to the present value. Otherwise, an award of future wages could be invested to make more than a person would make in the future.
Courts may also allow the plaintiff to recover medical expenses from the person who injures them even if the plaintiff’s own medical insurance paid for those medical expenses and the plaintiff did not have “out of pocket” expenses. In those instances, the plaintiff’s medical insurer may have a lien or right of recovery against the proceeds the plaintiff receives from the party who injures him.
Once the range for the gross value is determined, other factors should then be considered to determine the value at which the case can settle, if the parties are willing to settle. For instance, what are the chances of proving liability? If the chances of recovery are only 50%, then the range of value should be reduced by a number close to 50% for purposes of considering a settlement. The fault of the plaintiff or the fault of a third party should also be considered in evaluating the case.
