Believe it or not, this is the single most asked question of a lawyer! The answer in the very beginning is "it depends" or (if the policy limits of the at fault party are known) and the injuries are catastrophic, the answer might be the policy limits or a great deal of money.
There are a number of factors that need to be determined:
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Who is at fault and how much insurance does he have?
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What is the venue of the case?
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How much property damage is there? Is it enough to make a reasonable person believe that a person was hurt?
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How much insurance do you have if the at fault party has minimal insurance? (Underinsured motorist coverage)
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How many people were hurt in the accident in all of the cars involved? (many people being hurt means that the liability insurance may be split among the hurt parties)
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What are the injuries? Is it a minor sprain of the neck or is it a major laceration to your face that will likely leave an obvious scar? Did you lose an eye or a finger/toe?
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Will you injury affect you for the remainder of your life and will you require rehabilitation for your life time?
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Did the doctor disable you from work for a short period or longer?
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Will you have to change jobs because you can no longer do the job you have done your entire life. ( You lose the use of your hand and can no longer type or life heavy duty things)
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Is the at fault insurance company a “good insurance company” or a “cut-rate insurance company?”
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How much are you medical bills?
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How much are your lost wages?
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Was there any “gap” in treatment of your injuries?
As you can tell, there are hundreds of factors that go into a case evaluation that it is practically impossible to give clients a number of what they should expect at the beginning of their case. Most case values can be determined only after the client has finished treating with their medical providers and a full accounting of their case has been completed.
The important thing to remember is no amount of money can give you back the time you lost with your family or loved ones as a result of being hurt. No amount of money can ever truly compensate you for your pain and suffering. And there is no amount of money that will bring someone back. Our goal is always to try as best we can to put our clients back in the same position they were before they were injured and cash compensation is only part of that.
