How to calculate your compensations for a personal injury

The aftermath of a personal injury accident can be stressful, painful and can seem overwhelming. Being able to simplify, even by a small fraction, the tasks that arise as a result can help victims recover and look forward to obtaining just compensation for their injuries.

A personal injury calculator, like the one offered to victims by our team of Los Angeles personal injury lawyers helps you estimate the worth of your claim by summing up the most common types of expenses that will be incurred by a victim following an accident.

​Reasons to use a personal injury calculator

A personal injury calculator is a useful tool that provides guidance on how victims should estimate the total amount of the settlement. It can be used prior to negotiating with an insurance company or with the defendant or even prior to meeting a personal injury lawyer. 

Even if you haven’t dealt with calculating damages after an accident before, you have the opportunity to enter a discussion informed about what should be covered by the insurance company or by the party at fault.

The role of the personal injury calculator is purely an informative one and does not substitute the experience of a personal injury lawyer who will know how to approximate with more accuracy the true worth of your case.

Including all of the proper expenses

The settlement for a personal injury accident will most often include two different categories of compensations. The ones that refer strictly to economic losses and can be easily quantified are the special damages and there are those offered for non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, the general damages.

Special damages will include the compensation for medical bills, lost wages during hospitalization, property damage as well as future medical bills and future lost wages and economic opportunities, as best as they can be predicted. General damages will include those for physical pain and suffering, physical impairment and loss of companionship and/or quality of life.

The personal injury calculator helps you add up the special damages. There are five distinct categories and users are advised to fill in each category as accurately as they can. For this purpose, it is advisable to consult with your treating physician in order to estimate the value of the future medical care and even with a car repair shop to calculate the value of autovehicle damage, in vehicle accident cases. Being able to estimate each amount as accurately as possible will allow you to make a realistic prediction of the settlement and you will thus be able to adjust that amount to allow for a negotiation advantage.

Using a personal injury calculator is only a first step and seeking professional legal aid for negotiation and filing a personal injury claim is always advisable.