The seriousness of your injuries is a major factor to consider when you’re looking for an estimate of what kind of settlement you could receive in a personal injury lawsuit. Your specific case and the circumstances surrounding it will need to be examined individually by an experienced injury lawyer to determine whether your injuries meet or exceed the threshold required for your claim to proceed, but there are some general guidelines regarding how serious your injuries must be to proceed with a lawsuit. The following factors will affect how much you can get in a settlement:
Your age at the time of the accident
Young people can be compensated for their injuries at a greater rate than older ones because younger people have more potential for earning more money over their lifetimes. Also, plaintiffs who sustained more severe injuries and underwent longer recoveries will likely receive larger settlements than those with lesser injuries or shorter recoveries. The older you are, the more likely it is that you’ll have chronic pain or other long-term health problems after an injury. These conditions can affect your ability to work and earn money in the future — and they can also increase medical expenses.
Your pre-existing medical conditions
If you already have a health problem before an accident occurs, this condition may be made worse or even permanently disabling by another injury. For example, if someone hits you with their car when walking down the street, then suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the accident, this mental condition would be considered part of your wrongful conduct and therefore covered under any insurance policy that covers physical harm to people.
Loss of Income due to Serious Injuries
Another way that injuries affect settlement value is by affecting the amount of time off work needed due to them. If you had surgery that required six months off work before returning on light duty, chances are good that your employer will provide some form of disability benefits during those six months — but if your time off was shorter and wasn’t part of a paid disability policy offered by your employer, then you’ll have to rely on other sources.
Seek Legal Representation
The personal injury lawyer in Etobicoke will know how to present evidence that shows how much money you have lost due to your injuries and/or how much money it might cost you in future medical expenses or lost earnings if they are permanent injuries or disabilities that prevent you from working again after recovery.
