If you have been injured in any type of accident (car accident, slip and fall, trip and fall etc…) and want to claim compensation, you are likely asking yourself what is your injury case is worth?

Figuring out what type and how much damages you can receive for your injuries is a complicated issue even for the most experienced lawyers to determine. Since most cases are settled before going to trial, it is important to hire an experienced accident lawyer who can determine what amount would fairly compensate you for your injuries.

After suffering injuries in an accident, assessing whether or not to advance a claim for compensation and determining which lawyer is right for you can be difficult to determine. Often, dealing with insurance companies and lawyers can be stressful when advancing a personal injury claim. Most clients are not comfortable handling the claim themselves and for good reason choose to hire an experienced accident and injury lawyer. The insurance claim and compensation process can be complicated and has many pitfalls. An experienced injury lawyer can overcome these pitfalls and pursue your claim from the first to the last step.

Our dedicated lawyers handle all types of injury and accident claims such as car accidents, pedestrian accidents, cycling accidents, truck collisions, slip and falls, trip and falls, property injury claims, home owner injury claims and everything in between.

The lawyers at our law firm focus their practices only on injury, accident and disability claims. When accepting injury cases, our lawyers work on a contingency fee basis and charge no fee until you win. In handling claims, our law firm will seek to protect your rights and interests after an accident, determine the nature and type of claim to advance and the value of your claim, handle the collection of evidence such as medical records, employment records and witness statements, deal with various third parties such as insurance companies, adjusters, opposing lawyers, health care providers and experts, deal with insurance company tactics, fully assess and prepare your compensation claim, negotiate a full settlement and successfully bring your injury case to a conclusion.

When handling your accident case, our lawyers will determine how much your accident case is worth. The proper amount of compensation is a crucial aspect of all personal injury claims. Each case is considered on its own facts. Our lawyers know what insurance adjusters consider in determining the value of injury claims and works with the insurance company to arrive at a fair settlement. Your compensation, determined by your circumstances, will include various types of damages such as general damages for pain and suffering, medical expenses, care expenses, out of pocket expenses, past income loss, future income loss, loss of opportunity, business losses, damages for permanent disabilities and disfigurement, loss of amenities of life, damages for stress, emotional trauma, depression, lost life experiences and more.

In law, there is no easy or precise way for lawyers and insurers to accurately determine the value of any case. As lawyers, we determine the value based on the evidence obtained on your file and by comparing your case to cases that have gone to trial. The trial decisions (called the common law or judge made law), provides guidance to lawyers and insurers on valuation of different types of injuries. Because it is impossible to assess in a dollar value what pain and suffering is worth, the best predictor of value is past decisions made on similar facts. In most cases, special damages for things like expenses are agreed to and the issue in contention often becomes the value of pain and suffering damages.

The goal of advancing a claim and determining damages is to fairly compensate the injured person for their injuries and the impact of those injuries they have had on their life. Injury damages are categorized as compensatory, meaning that the money (damages) is meant to compensate the injury victim for their losses, pain and suffering arising from the accident and is meant to put the injured person as close as possible to their position prior to the accident. In other words, the damages are meant to put the victim back to a “whole” position. Trying to accomplish this goal by placing a dollar figure on all the consequences and impact of the accident and injuries is not an easy task.

In some cases, the value of a case is affected by contributing factors such as the injured person’s condition at the time of the accident (influence by drugs or alcohol, improper footwear etc…), or other at fault behaviours. In this case, the amount of compensation can be reduced by what is called contributory negligence.

Because there are so many different factors that come into play in properly as it should be and fully assessing the fair amount of compensation provides no easy or set applicable formula, injury victims should always consult an experienced injury lawyer to assess what would be a fair compensation.

If you or someone you care about has been injured in an accident, please feel free to consult one of our injury lawyers by calling 613-315-4878 or emailing mquinn@ottawalawyers.com. We offer free consultations and work on a no fee until you win basis.