How Much is My New York Personal Injury Case Worth?

If you were injured in an accident due to no fault of your own – a car accident, slip and fall, a dog bite, a pedestrian accident, or another kind of accident, you may be wondering, “How much would my personal injury case be worth?”

The answer has to do with the “damages” involved. Damages refer to financial compensation for an injured party’s losses. So, the first task of a personal injury attorney is to closely estimate the losses you have suffered and will suffer in the future as a direct result of the injury.

In a personal injury case, there are two types of damages: Economic and non-economic. Economic damages refer to measurable, quantifiable damages, such as:

1. Property damage to your vehicle
2. The cost of replacing your vehicle
3. Medical bills
4. Ambulance costs
5. Lost income
6. Funeral expenses (wrongful death cases)

In contrast, non-economic damages refer to the types of damages that cannot be easily measured or supported with medical bills, repair orders, and other receipts. Non-economic damages include but are not limited to:

1. Pain and suffering
2. Emotional distress
3. Loss of enjoyment
4. Punitive damages (meant to punish the at-fault party)
5. Loss of consortium (impact the injuries have on the plaintiff’s relationship with their spouse)

The purpose of a personal injury settlement is to help make the plaintiff (injured party) whole again. Even though that’s not entirely possible, the goal is to help restore the person to their previous state before the accident as much as possible.

While it’s easy to put a dollar figure on medical bills and lost income, it’s harder to place a dollar figure on non-economic damages like pain and suffering where the plaintiff’s physical limitations have deeply affected their quality of life. For example, a plaintiff who can no longer have children, or enjoy exercise or their hobbies like they used to because of their injuries.

Often, when plaintiffs try to represent themselves, they grossly underestimate how much their personal injury case is worth because they don’t realize all that they’re entitled to. If you’re injured in an accident, our advice is to contact us to speak with a Suffolk County personal injury lawyer about filing a claim for compensation, the compensation you deserve, not some low-ball settlement.