What Variables Determine What Your Personal Injury Claim Will Be Worth?

Once you have submitted a personal injury claim, you must negotiate for a fair settlement. As the size of your settlement increases in size, the worth of your claim increases, proportionately. So, what factors determine the size of your settlement?

One hard and fast rule

The greater the level of your pain, following the accident, the larger the size of the final settlement offer will be. Admittedly, it is hard to measure pain, but the legal system provides Injury Lawyer in Brantford and insurance companies with questions to pose. By asking such questions, the insurer and the attorney can do a better job of determining the approximate level of a victim’s pain.

For instance both the victim’s lawyer and the insurance company would have inquiries such as these: Was it a hard injury, such as a broken bone? What were the medical expenses? A large bill would suggest a painful injury. Were you prescribed any form of medication?

Those questions pertain to the period that covers the time soon after the accident. Later, other questions could be raised. They would be things like this: How long did it take you to recover? Was there a permanent injury?

Other factors that determine the size of the settlement

If the other driver was totally responsible for the accident, that fact will help to increase the size of your settlement. On the other hand, if you had been forced to share some of the responsibility, then that should have the opposite effect on the settlement’s size.

Did you exhibit an organized and calm attitude during the negotiations? If so, that fact should help you to enjoy a larger compensation. On the other hand, if you became impatient, you might not get as large a compensation as you had hoped.

Did you offer any witnesses? Did you sound more credible than the other party? Those are two other factors that will work to determine how much money you receive, once the negotiations for your claim have ended.

Finally, can you present a dramatic advantage for your case? Maybe you have obtained some valuable video footage. That could work to increase the worth of your claim. The value of a dramatic advantage increases, if you have failed to come forward with any eye witnesses.

Yet you do not always need a dramatic advantage. If the other party has failed to present a credible story, even a small piece of evidence could succeed in pulling out any foundation that might have existed to such a story. In that case, you would certainly have a good chance for enjoying the monetary award that normally goes to the party with the claim that had the greatest overall worth.