
If you have been injured in an accident and are looking for a fair settlement, you may be wondering what a good number to start with is or what you may be looking at in terms of compensation for your injuries.
You can use a personal injury settlement calculator to do just that. The calculator covers all personal injury claims, including car accidents, slip and falls, and other related incidents.
If you have more questions about the funds available to you after an accident, you can reach out to a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer to discuss the specific losses you sustained.
The Role of a Personal Injury Settlement Value Calculator
A personal injury settlement calculator is a valuable tool that helps individuals estimate the potential value of their claim. By inputting specific details about your case, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering, you can gain a preliminary understanding of the compensation you may be entitled to.
Calculating Your Compensation After an Accident
Have you been injured in an accident? Don’t let the legal process overwhelm you. Our Personal Injury Settlement Calculator is here to help. In just a few simple steps, you can estimate the value of your claim. While it’s not a substitute for legal advice, this tool can provide valuable insights into your potential recovery.
Disclaimer: This calculator does not constitute legal advice. These calculations are provided for instructional purposes only. If you sustained injuries in an accident, consult with a personal injury attorney first.
Here’s how to use our calculator to understand your rights and take control of your future:
- Enter only numbers, no commas, no decimals, and no $ signs.
- Enter the totals of all medical bills as a result of the accident you have incurred so far.
- Enter any property damage that was a result of the accident to your vehicle or other property involved.
- Enter your total earnings lost up to this point.
- Enter any future lost income due to the accident if you will be out of work for a set amount of time.
- Enter your future medical expenses. These expenses will cover future surgeries, physical therapy, medical supplies, appointments, and getting to and from the doctor’s office.
After you enter all the necessary information, the calculator can provide an estimated value for your claim.
Why Use a Personal Injury Claim Calculator?
Using a personal injury settlement calculator is a great way to get a general estimate for the value of your claim. However, it’s important to recognize the limitations of such tools. Personal injury cases are complicated and involve numerous factors that can significantly impact the ultimate settlement amount. Some of these factors include:
The Severity of Your Injuries
The extent of your injuries, both physical and emotional, will play a large role in determining the value of your claim. Severe injuries, such as broken bones, spinal cord damage, or traumatic brain injuries, may warrant higher settlements.
Liability
Establishing liability is an important step in any personal injury case. If you can prove that another party was at fault for the accident, you will have a stronger case for compensation.
Insurance Coverage
The insurance policies of the at-fault party will influence the potential settlement amount. Adequate insurance coverage can significantly impact the compensation you receive.
Legal Representation
Why is having a personal injury lawyer important? Having an experienced personal injury attorney can greatly improve your chances of securing a fair settlement. An attorney can negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf, gather evidence, and represent your interests in court if necessary.
An attorney can also give you information about what the average settlement is in a personal injury case.
The Importance of Consulting with an Attorney
While a personal injury settlement calculator can be a helpful starting point, it’s essential to consult with an attorney to get a more accurate assessment of your case. An attorney can provide personalized legal advice, review the specific details of your situation, and guide you through the complicated legal process.
Your Las Vegas personal injury attorney can also help you understand which types of compensation you may be eligible for. There are many types, some of which you may be able to get, and others may be unavailable in your case.
For example, you may qualify for funds to pay for your:
Medical Expenses
Injury victims often face high medical bills after an accident. The liable party may need to cover your emergency medical treatment, the time you spend in a hospital, the cost of medications, and other medical costs.
A personal injury attorney will need to carefully track all of these losses to add them to your legal claim.
Lost Wages
You may also qualify for money to cover the wages you lose while off work and healing after an accident caused by someone else’s negligent behavior. If you end up disabled by the accident, you may get additional compensation for your reduced earning potential.
Property Repairs
The at-fault party may have to cover any property damage caused by your accident. For example, if you sustain injuries in a motor vehicle collision, the responsible party may have to pay to have your vehicle repaired.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages, often referred to as “pain and suffering,” are intangible losses resulting from an injury. These can include physical pain, emotional distress, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and disfigurement.
While harder to quantify than economic damages such as medical bills or lost wages, non-economic damages can significantly impact a person’s quality of life and overall well-being. As such, they may greatly influence the value of your injury claim.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are a form of punishment awarded in civil lawsuits, typically in cases of intentional wrongdoing or reckless behavior. These damages should deter future misconduct and serve as a punishment for the wrongdoer.
Unlike compensatory damages, which aim to compensate the injured party for their losses, punitive damages punish the defendant and set an example. The court does not award punitive damages in all cases, so many personal injury settlement calculators do not include them.
Your Percentage of Fault Can Impact Your Settlement
Nevada uses comparative negligence laws to handle personal injury claims. These laws mean that you can request compensation for your losses if you contributed to the accident. In fact, you may receive compensation as long as you are not more than 50% responsible for the incident.
However, the legal system will reduce the compensation you receive based on your percentage of overall fault. For example, let’s say that you face $10,000 in losses after a car accident. However, you hold 20% of the fault for the accident. In this situation, you’d only qualify to receive $8,000 in compensation for your losses.
A Lawyer Can Investigate Fault for an Accident
You can rely on a personal injury lawyer to help you get maximum compensation after an accident by investigating and gathering proof that someone else’s actions caused your injuries and financial losses.
Depending on your circumstances, an attorney may need to focus on:
- Visiting the scene of the accident
- Taking statements from all eyewitnesses
- Getting a copy of the official police accident report
- Visiting local businesses to get copies of surveillance footage
Your attorney may also work with expert witnesses or accident reconstruction specialists in some cases. It’s crucial that you get legal help right away so your attorney has a stronger chance of gathering all relevant evidence and strengthening your claim.
How Do You Settle After an Accident?
Settling your claim after an accident typically requires your lawyer to negotiate with the insurance company that represents the liable party. You should always allow an attorney to handle these negotiations, as the insurance company can try to take advantage of you or even deny your claim if you face them alone.
An attorney can handle all parts of the negotiation process by:
- Filing the appropriate paperwork
- Gathering evidence to back up your claim
- Collecting documents to show the full extent of your losses
- Assessing every settlement offer made by the company
- Rejecting subpar deals and pushing for more compensation
You should never sign paperwork from the insurance company before your attorney reviews it. Once you accept a deal, you generally cannot go back and ask for additional compensation, even if they undercompensated you for your losses. Make sure you talk to a lawyer about whether you should settle your case.
How Long Does the Settlement Process Take?
Insurance settlement negotiations often take months or even years to complete. Insurance companies often like to drag out the negotiation process in an effort to get injury victims to accept a subpar offer.
Your personal injury attorney can do everything possible to expedite the negotiation process, potentially reducing the time you have to wait to get compensation for your losses. Turn to an attorney who knows how to deal with insurance companies in a personal injury claim so you can feel confident throughout the legal process.
How Long Do You Have to Request Compensation?
You must move forward with your legal claim before Nevada’s personal injury statute of limitations expires. Generally, our state will only give you two years to file a claim against the at-fault party after an accident.
However, in some cases, this deadline will shift. Some injury victims have far less time to seek compensation for their losses, so it’s important to confer with a lawyer who can explain the timeline for your claim.
If you wait too long, the legal system can dismiss your claim and prevent you from seeking compensation for any of your losses.
Do You Have to Settle After an Accidental Injury?
No, you do not have to accept a settlement offer from the insurance company if its representatives repeatedly present low offers that fail to cover your losses. In this situation, an attorney may help you file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party.
Going through the court system can allow you to get the compensation you need to cover everything from your medical expenses to your pain, emotional suffering, and mental distress. An attorney can take charge if your claim goes to court, representing your best interests and presenting your case in front of a judge and jury.
Confirm Your Settlement Amount with Shook & Stone
Calculating a settlement amount for personal injury claims is complicated, and using a personal injury settlement calculator is only the beginning. To ensure you get what you deserve from your case, discuss all its particulars with an attorney before making any demands.
If you live in Nevada, you should contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Shook & Stone Injury Lawyers for legal advice. We offer a free case consultation. Our legal team has over 150 years of combined experience, and we’ve brought our clients over $1 billion in compensation for their losses.
We’re ready to immediately review your situation so we can determine a fair value for your personal injury claim.