Is It Possible To Calculate The Value Of Your Car Accident Claim?

If you have been injured in a car accident in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California, it is only natural to be wondering how much your personal injury claim is worthy.
And it is not just because you want to make sure that your personal injury claim will cover your medical expenses, past and future, but also because you want to be certain that the compensation will be sufficient enough to reimburse you for lost wages (let’s admit it: living in California is not exactly cheap, especially when you are out of work).
So how to calculate the value of your car accident claim? This is the question we asked our Los Angeles car accident attorney at the Compass Law Group, LLP.

How to estimate the value of your claim?

The short answer is this: it is impossible to calculate how much your personal injury claim is worth without letting an experience car accident lawyer review your particular case and estimate the full value of your claim. It is not like every motor vehicle accident affects people the same way. Some people sustain minor injuries, while others suffer severe injuries. Some people can fully recover within two weeks of medical treatment, while others may require two months with the same injuries.
It all depends on the particular circumstances of your car accident, the severity of your injuries, and what your injuries have cost you financially, physically, and mentally. It is a Los Angeles car accident lawyer’s job to give you an estimate of how much your claim will be worth and what compensation you truly deserve.
Note: do not trust your insurance company, which will most likely provide you with a quick estimate of the value of your damages within the first week of the car accident or even promptly offer you an initial settlement offer. Those estimations and settlement offers by insurance companies NEVER reflect the full extent of your injuries and damages.

What damages are recoverable after a car accident?

While the value of reimbursement for property damage and medical bills are relatively easy to establish given that their cost is being documented in your property damage and personal injury claims, it may not be as easy to put a dollar figure on other compensatory damages in a personal injury claim:

  • Lost wages. If your wages and salary have been affected by the car accident and its consequences, you may be able to recover not just the lost money that you would have been able to earn if you were not in that accident, but also the future wages that you would have been able to make if you were not injured.
  • Loss of earning capacity. If your earning capacity has been negatively affected – in other words, if you can work but your injuries prevent you from working in full capacity to earn the same amount of wages you had before the injury – you may be entitled to receive “loss of earning capacity” damages.
  • Loss of enjoyment. If your injuries have taken a toll on your emotional and mental wellbeing and you were or are unable to enjoy day-to-date activities, you may be able to recover “loss of enjoyment” damages.
  • Pain and suffering. This is arguably the most difficult type of damages to calculate in a personal injury claim, and requires you to seek legal advice of a Los Angeles car accident attorney to get it right. If your injury or the accident have caused pain or serious discomfort, you may be entitled to receive compensation for that as well.
  • Emotional distress, which is usually recoverable in catastrophic car accidents that greatly impact the injured person’s psychological and emotional health, including but not limited to developed anxiety, depression, sleep problems, fear, and others.
  • Loss of consortium. If your relationship with the spouse has been negatively affected by the car accident and its consequences, your Los Angeles car accident lawyer may be able to help recover damages for loss of companionship or the inability to maintain a sexual relationship, among other things.

Do you want to estimate the value of your personal injury claim in California? Contact our attorneys at the Compass Law Group, LLP today. We offer a free consultation.

FREE CONSULTATION

Find out if you have a case in a few minutes, call us at (310) 289-7126

Recent Posts

What Happens After an Out-of-State Uber or Lyft Accident?
Types of Car Accident Injuries
The Most Common Types of Uber Accident Injuries
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries From Truck Accidents
Average Slip and Fall Settlement in California

Our Headquarters