The Role of Different Factors in Determining the Settlement Amount for a Car Accident Victim!
Even a minor car crash can upset your emotional and mental health. The matter becomes serious when it involves injuries and property damages due to the other party’s negligence, requiring a different approach. You want compensation for the damage caused. At such times, knowing about the settlement value of the car accident dramatically helps. You can calculate figures in your mind, but these are just imaginary numbers. The reason for this is the different situations or factors that play a part. However, a typical car accident leading to injuries can be settled for approximately USD $29,700 on average. If you were safe, the average value can be USD $16,700. Remember, these are only estimates. The actual scene can be different and better.
How do you ensure that? Are you a San Diego resident? Meet reputable San Diego car accident lawyers for guidance. Before this, let’s gather some ideas around different aspects that can affect your settlement amount positively or negatively.
- The responsible party’s whereabouts
The accused will bear liability for the accident. Since auto drivers tend to have insurance policies covering such events, you can claim compensation from them. However, every state has different insurance policy rules, ultimately determining the payout. Suppose the driver was from New York. In that case, the settlement value will differ from what you expect from someone from California. There will be more considerations beyond this, such as weather conditions, mechanical glitches, drunk driving, etc.
- Injury and medical treatment
If you have been injured, medical bills will become the priority. These prove the intensity of harm caused. For example, any damage to the spinal cord will incur expensive medical expenditures, deserving handsome compensation. Generally, you also add deductibles and co-pay besides the cost of treatment to the compensation.
You can include everything you paid for, such as ambulance, ER bills, hospitalization, medical care, follow-up appointments, therapies, medical devices, etc. In this context, one can also add the cost of renovating a house to accommodate their medical needs. For example, you may be in a wheelchair. It will require you to build broad doorways and wheelchair ramps on the property. For clarity, you can discuss these points with your personal injury lawyer.
- Job or work loss
Car accidents often cause disabilities in victims, compelling them to stay at home. They can lose their employment due to this. Sometimes, you may have to choose a different type of work because of some permanent injuries. For permanent work loss, you can also claim damage in a car accident case. Your attorney can suggest the best yet reasonable amount to compensate for this scenario.
- Type of property damage
Another element that can significantly influence your compensation claim is property damage. It is different than injuries. Due to another driver’s fault, your car may have broken down and need repair; take the estimates per the insurance company’s recommendation. The repair shop will share the details with the insurer.
If the damages are 70-75% more than the vehicle’s overall value, the company can consider it a case of total loss. In those situations, you become eligible for replacement value. However, it’s worth noting that the damage to the car can overflow into other possessions, such as car seats, laptops, phones, etc. You can recoup the damage for those items.
Getting compensation or settlement amounts becomes easy when you put in a good but reasonable amount, which only a professional lawyer can figure out correctly.
