Personal Injury Settlements

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The amount that an individual can expect from personal injury settlements can vary as much as the circumstances which surround the accident or situation causing the settlement. There are many dependencies within each claim and each individual situation is different. So there is no one way to determine or establish settlement amounts prior to reviewing a specific incident.

Insurance companies and attorneys who specialize in handling personal injury settlements for individuals have a better understanding of all the factors involved in determining a settlement amount. They understand that there is no one fixed settlement awards for a particular claim because there are no two claims exactly alike. Individual situations can range from type of accident or incident, severity of the incident, medical services and expenses required immediately and longer term, loss of wages or employment and in some cases even includes death and burial expenses.

So there is no established rule for a personal injury settlement and each case is handled in its own unique way. For example a woman I know fell in front of a grocery store and broke her nose. She was an elderly woman and the fall could have actually been much worse but as it was it left her unconscious and in need of immediate medical attention. There was no longer term physical damage caused or additional rehabilitation therapy needed once her nose was set and healed. There was only a minor cut in addition to the break. With this situation the insurance company of the grocery store actually settled with her insurance company and paid for the medical costs she required for the emergency room, ambulance and medical treatment until her nose was healed. There were no long term issues and it was handled professionally and quickly. The entire incident was settled for under $6,000. Good thing the grocery store carried pip coverage.

On the other hand I know an attorney who handles personal injury for some of his clients who own small businesses. One particular electrical business had an employee in training on the job. The new employee was in the process of learning his new trade and failed to turn off some electrical power in a home he was providing services for. When he began accessing an electrical fixture he was knocked off his ladder and experienced a concussion and some neck injuries. Since his neck injuries created a situation where he was no longer able to work to support himself, the electrical companies insurance settled with the new electrician for $10,000,000. Had he been able to return to work after physical therapy and healing the settlement could have been much lower.

So essentially personal injury settlements can range in payout amounts and vary in situations and severity. So there is no feasible way to predict personal injury settlements until investigation into all the surrounding circumstances have been thoroughly investigated. Along with understanding immediate emergency care on-going physical and psychological care must be considered if the damage, loss or injury is such that will disable the individual or require on-going therapy of some type. The entire case and circumstances must be reviewed to provide a complete settlement package.

Severity of damage, loss or injury can actually increase the amount of personal injury settlements. Someone with devastating injuries that leave them disabled and unable to work are likely to get a higher settlement amount than someone who will be able to return to work once they have healed or been rehabilitated. Loss of life due to an accident will also most definitely increase the settlement amount paid to family members. Of course there is no compensation available that can replace the loved one which is also factored into the settlement.