A personal injury compensation calculator is an online tool used to calculate how much you can expect to recover after suffering a personal injury caused by another party. While these tools can give you a very broad picture of the amount you can claim, they tend to be incredibly simplistic, and thus their accuracy is lacking.
The only way to get a meaningful estimate of how much money you are likely to recover for your injury is by contacting an experienced personal injury attorney who can review your damages. At Vaughan & Vaughan, we will examine the details of your case and provide an accurate estimate of the value of your claim. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
Should I Use a Personal Injury Compensation Calculator?
If you want to know how much you are likely to recover in a personal injury lawsuit, consulting an experienced attorney is the best way to get an accurate estimate. Using an online compensation calculator is unlikely to give you a realistic idea of how much you can expect to receive.
However, if you want a ballpark figure immediately after sustaining an injury before you have a chance to consult an attorney, you can use one of these calculators. When doing so, just be mindful of the fact that the number provided by these tools will likely be far from the amount you actually recover.
Factors Considered When Determining Compensation
Many factors must be taken into account when determining how much compensation you will be able to recover after suffering an injury. Unfortunately, online calculators for determining the value of your claim are often quite simplistic and assume you already have a lot of information about the damages you have sustained that you likely do not possess.
These calculators tend to ask victims to estimate their future medical expenses and lost earning potential caused by their injuries. However, the figures can be incredibly difficult to predict on your own.
For a true estimate of the value of your claim, an experienced personal injury attorney will review many details about your case. Some of the things that will factor in include:
- The severity of your injuries
- Your profession at the time of your injury
- The extent of damage to your personal property
- The actions or inaction of the liable party
- Whether you shared in the fault for the accident that caused your injury
This list represents only a small portion of the factors that must be taken into account when determining the value of your personal injury claim. However, not even all of these factors are considered when using an online compensation calculator.
Damages You May Be Able to Recover Following a Personal Injury
After sustaining an injury caused by the negligence or intentional actions of another party, you will likely qualify to claim a wide array of damages. The specific damages you are eligible to collect depend on the details of your case. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you identify all the damages you can pursue.
Damages you may qualify to claim can be divided into three categories.
Economic Damages
Economic damages cover all the losses caused by a personal injury that hurt you financially. These damages include both money you are forced to spend and income you are prevented from earning because of your injury. The economic damages most frequently awarded by the court include:
- Medical costs
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost earning ability
- Property damage
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are awarded to compensate for every other type of loss you suffered as a result of your accident. These damages are often deeply personal and irreplaceable. The non-economic damages most frequently awarded by the court include:
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are much different than the compensatory damages reviewed above. Instead of being used as a means of compensating an accident victim for losses they sustained, punitive damages are meant to punish the liable party for the role they played in causing the accident to occur.
Punitive damages are reserved for extreme cases involving criminal negligence or intentional harm.
A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Provide You With a Far More Accurate Quote
When attempting to discover how much your personal injury claim is worth, it is much better to put your trust in the hands of an experienced personal injury lawyer than an online compensation calculator.
At Vaughan & Vaughan, we have been helping accident victims recover the compensation they need for over 100 years. This experience means that we know exactly what will be considered when evaluating the worth of your claim and can give you an accurate estimate of how much you can expect to recover.
Contact us today by phone or through our website to schedule a free case consultation with a member of our legal team.
