How Much Is My Injury Worth in Florida?

If you or your loved one is dealing with a severe injury caused by someone else’s negligence, you may have questions about the amount of compensation available to you through a personal injury lawsuit. You want to put the accident behind you and get on with your life as quickly as possible. However, it’s difficult to move on when you’re still facing large amounts of medical debt and other expenses related to a serious injury.

If you were harmed by someone else’s reckless actions, you may be entitled to seek significant compensation. When clients ask us what their case is worth, we say that it depends and that the answer may not be clear for many months. The value of your injury claim will depend on multiple factors including the severity of your injuries, whether your injuries will require future medical care, and the insurance policies available to compensate you.

At Chiumento Law, PLLC Attorneys at Law, we understand the financial stress and frustration when you’ve been injured because of someone else’s wrongdoing or negligence. We want to help. For over 45 years, our trusted team has helped clients throughout Palm Beach and Ormond Beach seek substantial compensation for injuries.

Contact Chiumento Law, PLLC for a case evaluation and discussion of your legal options. Don’t wait a moment longer to seek the money needed to rebuild your life. Call us today at 386-445-8900 or reach us through our online contact form.

What Kinds of Compensation Could I Get?

The exact amount that you may recover for your injuries will depend on the specific facts of your case, including whether you were partially at fault, whether you have disabling injuries or whether you’ll require ongoing medical care. When you’re trying to evaluate the value of your case, it’s critical to consider your future expenses as well as your medical costs to date. Some injuries are disabling and require ongoing care and assistance with daily tasks.

For example, if you have a sore neck and shoulders after a car crash, you might initially think the pain will resolve itself. However, whiplash may lead to significant long-term consequences, such as limited mobility and tinnitus. Oftentimes, these costly complications don’t appear initially.

After a serious accident, it’s difficult to know right away what your long-term costs might be. You have to wait until you have reached maximum medical improvement or been released from a doctor’s care to have a clear idea of your future medical needs. If anyone tries to tell you what your case is worth before you have reached maximum improvement, they are not being forthright with you. If you agree to settle a case too quickly, you may receive a settlement that does not cover all your future medical costs.

The compensation you may seek in an injury claim will typically help cover both economic and non-economic damages, such as:

• Outstanding medical bills
• Future medical expenses
• Wages lost while out of work recovering from your injuries
• Potential loss of income in the future
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Property destruction or damage

A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer at Chiumento Law, PLLC can offer an informed perspective on the value of your case based on the details of your case and the attorney’s experience with similar cases.

How Do Insurance Companies Calculate the Value of a Claim?

To calculate the value of a claim, insurance companies compile a list of all of the various types of damages you have suffered such as medical costs and lost income. Once they have a list of damages, they determine an overall value using their damages formula, which helps put a value on non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering or loss of consortium.

Typically, insurance adjusters determine the value of non-economic damages by multiplying the value of medical expenses times a number that is based on the severity of your injuries. For example, if you were paralyzed in an accident, then the insurance adjuster will multiply the medical expenses category by a higher number than if you only had scrapes and bruises. They will then add the value of any income lost to reach a base value for the claim.

If the insurance adjuster thinks that you might have been partially responsible for the accident, then the adjuster will subtract an amount equivalent to your percentage of fault from any settlement offer. For example, if the adjuster estimated your total damages at $100,000, and found that you were 30% responsible for the accident, then they will only offer you $70,000.

The initial dollar figure that insurance companies offer you is not necessarily the final amount that they will pay you, regardless of what they tell you. An initial settlement offer is a starting point for negotiation. Insurance companies want to pay as little as money as possible to settle a claim, so they typically make a low starting offer. An experienced attorney who is experienced with personal injury claim can negotiate on your behalf to help you get maximum compensation for your injuries.

In Reality: Every Case is Unique. There is No Simple Answer.

While many accidents are similar, each person’s situation is unique. Multiple factors contribute to the total value of a claim, so it’s impossible to know if you will get the same amount that another person did for the same kind of accident. For example, even if two cars are involved in the same kind of car accident, one person may walk away unscathed while another might get whiplash that leads to chronic pain and muscle issues.

Should You Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?

It’s important to have a personal injury lawyer review the details of your injury and help you understand your legal rights. If you have a claim that involves only damage to your vehicle, you may be able to handle that on your own. But, people who have significant injuries typically get higher amounts of compensation when they work with an attorney than when they try to handle the claim on their own.

Dealing with insurance is an exhausting process when you’re just trying to recover from your injuries. Insurance companies have an incentive to pay you as little as possible to settle a claim. An insurance adjuster may try to talk you into a low settlement while you’re still recovering from the accident.

Giving a statement to an insurance adjuster can cost you dearly. You don’t have to talk to the insurance adjuster. A skilled lawyer can help protect you from saying something you’ll regret later by negotiating with insurance on your behalf to get you the money you deserve.

An attorney can help you gather evidence to prove how much your case is worth. An attorney can gather your medical bills, pay stubs, proof of other economic losses to demonstrate how much the accident has cost you. Your attorney can consult with your doctor about your future medical needs. The attorney can also gather evidence to help determine liability, such as photographs of the accident scene.

The insurance company may try to claim that a previous accident or underlying medical condition caused your injuries instead of the accident. However, your lawyer can work with physicians and accident recreation specialists who can testify on your behalf to prove your case.

Your lawyer can also help make sure you meet any filing deadline requirements. Florida law has a statute of limitations that limits how much time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you don’t file your case within the time allowed, then you may lose the right to present the claim. Since these laws are confusing, it can be easy to miss the deadline and miss out on compensation you are owed. Our attorneys can keep track of the deadlines for you, so you can concentrate on recovering from your injuries.

A skilled personal injury lawyer can represent you in court and fight for your legal rights and maximum compensation.

How We Can Help

At Chiumento Law, PLLC, we’re here to help you seek full compensation for your injuries after an accident. Our trusted attorneys have over 45 years or experience helping clients across Flagler and Volusia counties recover maximum compensation after devastating accidents, and we want to do the same for you.

Our compassionate personal injury attorneys have deep roots in this community. With two offices and 13 lawyers on staff, we have the resources and skills to tackle even the most complicated cases, while serving you with the respect and personal attention you deserve.

If you were injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, contact Chiumento Law, PLLC to learn how much your case might be worth. Call us today at 386-445-8900 or contact us via our online contact form.