What Is a Personal Injury Calculator?

You suffered a recent personal injury. While you have a lot to sort out, determining your case’s financial worth represents one of the most vital components of your situation. Because there is no exact formula that determines a specific amount, consider using a personal injury calculator. Learn which circumstances make the biggest impact on estimating your claim amount. Working with an attorney better ensures that you receive every penny you deserve and protect your rights while seeking compensation.

How Do You Calculate Damages?

One of the first (and most favorable) places to start when using a personal injury calculator to determine your case’s worth is special and general damages. Examples of special damages include:

• Damaged or lost personal items
• Past and future lost wages
• Physical therapy, medical prescriptions and other medical bills
• Out-of-pocket expenses

Even if your personal health insurance covered your medical bills, do not neglect to count them when figuring out special damages. Do not forget expenses for procedures such as an MRI. These often include one bill from the facility where you received the MRI and another from the physician who interpreted the results. You could also have two separate bills from an emergency room doctor and the hospital where you received emergency medical services.

After you tally your special damages, multiply the total by one or two for a balanced estimate of your pain and suffering. Usually, insurance providers accept multiples of one or two times the special damages total for mild to moderate personal injuries.

General damages include:

• PTSD
• Psychological distress
• Depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions
• Poor concentration
• Physical aches and pains

One thing to remember with general damages is that they are often hard to calculate. This is because you cannot objectively measure your suffering; your emotional and mental distress may not be the same as that of another person who suffered the same personal injury.

What Must You Prove to the Insurance Company?

Insurance companies do not hand out high settlements without requiring extensive evidence from the injured party. In your case, you must show that the at-fault party owed you a duty of care; for example, motorists owe other drivers, pedestrians and bikers a duty of care to protect them from harm by following all traffic laws. You must also prove the at-fault party’s negligence and liability. Insurance companies also expect people in your position to prove that the responsible party’s negligence directly contributed to your injuries. That means the accused bears responsibility for your damages.

To build and strengthen your claim, work with an experienced legal professional to gather solid evidence:

• Medical records and bills
• Witness statements
• Photos and videos
• Pay stubs

Keep all your evidence well-organized and up-to-date.

What Are Personal Injury Settlement Calculators?

Insurance companies often push back against compensation demands, leading them to use their own calculations to determine a fair claim amount. Anticipate an adjuster thoroughly inspecting your claim and looking for opportunities to poke holes in your statement, evidence and anything else you submit. Also, insurance companies work hard to determine if their policyholder bears responsibility for your injuries and damages. Expect the adjuster’s calculations to differ from yours.

Even if the insurance provider offers you a payout, companies usually use a personal injury calculator before cutting a check. These special calculators assign a value to general and special damages, and they consider whether the plaintiff works with a legal advocate. Just like you, insurance companies cannot assign a concrete value to your general damages; computer programs have no way to determine how deeply a major injury affects your overall life.

What Impacts Insurance Company Settlement Calculations?

Besides using a personal injury settlement calculator, coverage providers consider several other factors when determining their settlement amount. For instance, insurance companies often offer a higher amount to settle cases out of court. Companies must also consider their policy limits before settling. If your claim surpasses those limits, you may have little choice but to sue the responsible party for the difference.

Is it possible that you bear partial responsibility for your personal injury? Insurance companies often explore this possibility as much as they can, as shifting the blame lessens their overall settlement offer. Where you live determines if the coverage provider can deny your claim if you are 50% or 51% to blame for the incident.

Sometimes, medical care providers artificially inflate the cost of medical care by charging patients for unnecessary treatments and medical procedures. An adjuster may deem this to be the case with your situation, which means you can expect a reduced settlement amount.

Should You Turn Your Case Over to a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Do you think there is no way the insurance company can deny that the accused individual or entity bears total responsibility for your personal injury? If so, you may not think you need to work with a personal injury attorney. However, you must realize that insurance companies have their own legal professionals. They do everything they can to shoot holes through cases and claims like yours.

Whether you settle out of court or go to trial, you want an experienced and reliable attorney by your side. Attorneys know how insurance companies work, and they know which laws, expert witnesses and other resources to use to strengthen your case. After a personal injury, no matter how major or minor, your focus should be on making a full recovery, not fighting against insurance companies that purposefully drag their feet and fight you at every turn.

Another reason you would work with a lawyer is if your personal injury case goes to trial. Insurance providers do not want cases going to trial because that means juries have the final say in the matter. There is no guarantee of a jury ruling in your favor or awarding you the amount you desire. Lawyers help negotiate fair settlements for their client’s damages, so coverage providers do not take advantage of injured parties who do not understand the scope of their legal rights.

Work With an Experienced Local Lawyer

Have you already used a personal injury calculator? Do not take unnecessary risks with your damages or compensation. Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!