What Is The Average Payout for a Personal Injury Claim USA?
Personal injury claims can reach anywhere from a couple of thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands or even millions. Currently, the U.S. average payout for a personal injury claim is at around $52,900.
According to a Maryland personal injury lawyer at Parker, Pallett, Slezak & Russell, LLC, various factors influences your personal injury claim settlement amount, which is why similar cases may sometimes result in different compensation amounts.
If you are an accident victim and want to press charges, you should speak with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. They can help you receive a favorable settlement for your damages. Here is what to consider when it comes to settlement amounts.
Personal Injury Settlement Amount Factors
When it comes to receiving compensation for a personal injury claim, the prime factor is the losses you have suffered, fault, and proving your case. However, since the state of Maryland follows the contributory negligence rules, you won’t be able to receive any compensation if you were found even 1% at fault for a car accident, for example.
This is why it is crucial to contact a lawyer that can help you build a strong case and prove fault. Lawyers can gather expert witnesses and accident reconstruction experts to help your case. When it comes to the damages you have suffered, you can be compensated for your physical and emotional injuries.
For example, a slip and fall accident victim can be compensated for their injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, and they can also receive compensation for subjective non-monetary losses, such as humiliation, mental anguish, pain, and suffering – which are known as non-economic damages.
Car accident victims, apart from the damages mentioned above, can be compensated for property damage, PTSD, or other issues that fall in the economic and non-economic damages section.
Non-economic damages are the hardest damages to assign value. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t have value. Victims have sometimes been rewarded with higher compensation settlements for their non-economic damages rather than their economic damages.
Highest Personal Injury Claims
Each personal injury claim is unique, and nothing can guarantee the same payout outcome for your case. Yet, the highest personal injury settlements are typically offered to victims with the most severe injuries.
Victims that have suffered permanent losses, such as disabilities or severe injuries resulting in years of treatment, are generally guaranteed to receive higher settlement amounts. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI), for example, are severe injuries due to their unpredictable outcome, as the victim has a high chance of encountering complications during their treatment.
Apart from the injuries you have suffered, another great role in your settlement amount is what you do after the accident and how good are the skills of the lawyer representing you. Generally, you should receive medical attention as soon as possible and submit a claim.
When you look for a lawyer to present you, make sure they have dealt with cases similar to yours and gauge their reviews, certifications, and awards.
You can also check out this article on Medical Negligence Law.
