If you have been in a car accident, then at some point in time you start to wonder what your case is worth. This is a perfectly normal and valid question to ask according to Riverside personal injury lawyer Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates. Once people get over the shock of a car accident, all the practical realities start to sink in and they start to ask questions about how they are going to pay for things. Who will pay for the damage to my car? How can I pay for the hospital bill? The doctor says I need physical therapy but I don’t have the money…how can I afford it? What about all the pain I am in…isn’t that worth something? These are all reasonable questions to be asking after a car accident. Riverside personal injury lawyer Emery Ledger offers the following information regarding the value of your car accident case:
1. You must remember that each case if different and it is impossible to determine exactly what your case is worth without a through evaluation of the facts of the case by an experienced personal injury lawyer.
2. What your case is worth will be effected in large part by who was negligent. Negligent is a legal term for fault. In California, more than one person or entity can share the fault for an accident. It may be that the other driver was predominately at fault, but you share some responsibility. It could be that the manufacturer of one of the vehicles was wholly responsible. The bottom line is that you can only recover – or be financially compensated – if someone else was more responsible for the accident than you were. If you shared some responsibility then your final award will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
3. Once it has been determined that you are entitled to be compensated, then the value of your injuries has to be determined. In California, you can be compensated for economic and non-economic damages.
4. Economic damages are things like medical bills, damage to your car and lost wages. There are other economic damages as well but these are the most common. While these damages may seem simple and not open to debate, that is not always the case. The negligent driver’s insurance company may try to fight the estimated cost of repairing your vehicle or the estimated cost of therapy for your injuries. An experienced Riverside personal injury lawyer will fight to get you the maximum compensation possible for you economic damages.
5. Non-economic damages are what most people think of as “pain and suffering”. This category of damages is highly subjective and this is one area where it really helps you to have an experienced Riverside personal injury lawyer fighting for you says Riverside personal injury lawyer Emery Ledger.
6. After all of those factors are taken into account, you will have to decide whether to take an offer to settle from the insurance company or take your case to trial. By accepting an offer, you know exactly how much your case is worth. If you elect to go to trial, you may receive more from a jury or less – the value of your case will not be known until the jury decides it.
As you can see, it is impossible to value a car accident case without a thorough investigation of the facts and circumstances. If you have been the victim of someone else’s negligence and you would like to have your case evaluated by an experienced Riverside personal injury lawyer, feel free to contact Emery Ledger at Ledger & Associates online at www.ledgerlaw.com or 1-800-300-0001
