Law Offices of Randolph Rice

Answering the question: "How much is my personal injury case worth?" can be tricky from the onset after an accident. After most accidents, victims will have to seek medical attention and treatment to determine the extent of their injuries. Since the human body is unpredictable in the way it heals and how it will react to an injury, it is often unknown the extent of medical treatment needed.

Since medical treatment and care dictates a large portion of the value in a personal injury claim, the value of a personal injury claim is typically known at the conclusion of the medical treatment.

One of the first steps in determining the value of an injury claim is to establish insurance coverage. Insurance coverage means, how much insurance does the at-fault party have? If the person does not have insurance, the victim will often have to rely on their own insurance for compensation. If the person who caused the accident or injury does have insurance, there is typically a policy limit in place for car accidents. Policy limits in Maryland are typically $30,000 / $60,000. That is the standard and required minimum coverage under Maryland auto insurance laws.

This means at the maximum amount of money that can be recovered by one individual is $30,000. The $60,000 value is the maximum amount that can be collected by all injured parties as a result of the accident.

The next step in determining the value of a personal injury claim is establishing liability or fault. This means your personal injury lawyer must determine who caused the accident. Since Maryland is a contributory negligence state, the at-fault person must be 100% at fault for the accident for him/her to be held liable.

If fault is unclear in an accident, this may lead to litigation to determine who caused the accident. Depending on the extent of the damages and the amount claimed in a lawsuit, a Maryland judge or jury will determine liability.

All medical treatment has a value. From an x-ray to surgery, each procedure will cost the victim money to achieve an intended result. In some cases, the victim of an accident may never fully recover. This is often referred to as permanency or a permanent injury after an accident. If an individual suffers a permanent injury, they can seek compensation for future medical expenses or the future pain that will be incurred. All of these factors play into determining how much a personal injury claim is worth.

If an individual is hurt in a car accident. That person is taken to the hospital and sees a doctor or receives scans or x-rays then there is a value or cost associated with that treatment. If the injuries or pain persist, a victim may be required to attend physical therapy or receive injections for their pain. Doctors may determine that surgery is necessary after an accident. Surgeries are expensive and that will increase the claim for the accident. As an example, assume that a person is involved in a car accident and seeks medical attention to the hospital. Medical bills from the hospital total $2,000.

The victim is suffering from continued pain and seek treatment from their primary care physician and a physical therapist. The victim is treated by the physical therapist for 6 weeks and incurs medical bills of $5,000. We now have a total medical cost of $7,000 as a result of the accident. This is a good starting point to determine how much a personal injury claim is worth.

However, there is more to this claim than just the medical bills. Let's assume that the victim treated with the physical therapist at total of 20 times. During those 20 visits the victim had to leave work early and the suffered lost wages and earnings in the amount of $4,000. Now, the total loss has increased to $11,000.

INJURY LAWYERS THAT CAN HELP INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR CLAIM


CONTACT:
Law Offices of Randolph Rice
3697 Park Avenue, 2nd Floor
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Phone: 410-844-9500
Email: info@ricelawmd.com
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Website: https://ricelawmd.com/maryland-criminal/ellicott-city-criminal-lawyer/