What are the Factors in Determining the Value of a Personal Injury Claim?

I’m Brian Ricci, a personal injury attorney serving Greenville and the surrounding areas in North Carolina. One of the most common questions that personal injury clients ask is how the amount of their claim will be determined. This is a simple question, yet one with a complicated answer. In reality, there are a number of factors that go into determining the value of a personal injury claim. Because no two cases are ever exactly alike, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all formula. Insurance companies take the opposite approach, and go to great lengths to put a dollar value on virtually every type of injury. The primary reason that people hire a personal injury attorney is to reach an outcome that is inclusive of their individual circumstances, not one based on an insurance adjustment spreadsheet.

Determining the Extent and Scope of Injuries

In order to put a dollar amount on a personal injury claim, the first step is to determine the exact nature of the person’s injuries. This process involves collecting medical records, MRI imaging and other reports, but that is only the beginning. It is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of current medical research on the relevant injuries, including the expected outcomes. Personal injury damages are meant to provide the injured party with the financial means of obtaining proper medical treatment for their injuries, both immediately following the incident and throughout the recovery process. The legal team must also research the available treatment options, including newly developed therapies and approaches. In some cases, it may be necessary to interview the medical professionals who provided care, or secure testimony from expert witnesses.

Evaluating Additional Impacts

Anyone who has been seriously injured in a car crash or other accident knows that the injuries themselves are only part of the problem. A great many factors also come into play, including but not limited to personal suffering, loss of income (both immediately following the incident and in the years to follow,) loss of social or family experiences and emotional damage. These matters must be carefully examined, and included within the overall claim as deemed necessary.

Building the Legal Argument

Once all of the relevant medical information has been gathered, the next step is to structure a persuasive legal argument. This is a process, through which the attorney crafts a case that emphasizes those facts that will increase the value of the claim, while minimizing the impact of facts that could lower the value of the claim. This is a process that demands a thorough and individualized approach. Overlooking relevant facts regarding liability, even when those facts seem minor, can have a drastic impact on the ultimate success of the case. It is during this stage of the process that having a highly skilled and experienced personal injury attorney truly pays off for the client.

Determine How to Proceed

Once the case has been thoroughly constructed, the legal team will advise the client on the best way to proceed. In some Greenville, North Carolina cases, the initial step is to submit a claim to an insurance adjuster. Other cases will be placed with an arbitrator, and some will even go to trial. No matter how a personal injury case moves forward, the sole focus of the personal injury attorney is to place the best interests of his or her client at the forefront of the process, from beginning to end.

Greenville, NC Personal Injury Attorneys

I’m Brian Ricci, a Personal Injury Lawyer serving Greenville, NC and the surrounding areas. If you have suffered a personal injury, please call me anytime at (252) 777-2222 or (888) 484-6881 for free, friendly advice. Let’s go over the details of your accident case over the phone and see how best to proceed. The call is free and there is no obligation to you.

I am a longtime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

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