How much is my personal injury case worth?
Among the first questions a client usually asks a personal injury attorney is "How much do you think my case is worth?" Unfortunately, this is an unanswerable question and you should probably be wary of any attorney who answers it with a precise figure or makes predictions or promises about the recovery you will get before he has had an opportunity to review all the relevant information. Injured persons actively interviewing counsel should review Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney.
Remember, in most cases no one can immediately tell how seriously you have been injured. By their very nature, some injuries don't manifest themselves until long after an accident. For this reason you should refrain from signing any kind of release immediately after an accident. Thus, it is always a good idea to contact a Louisville personal injury attorney as soon as possible after you have been injured, since it is the attorney who can advise you of your rights as well as inform you of the proper procedures, which include seeing the doctors in the appropriate specialties to evaluate and treat your type of injury. For information about the types of questions that you should ask potential Louisville personal injury attorneys, please review Consulting Louisville Personal Injury Attorneys.
One of the more irritating experiences faced by attorneys is the client who comes in, tells the -attorney about his case and then announces, "My friend Joe had the very same accident I had and his injuries were pretty much the same as mine. He got $50,000, so that's what I expect to get." Sounds reasonable, but is it true? Absolutely not. Every case is different and must be evaluated on the basis of the specific facts of that case. There are always different facts, and any slight variation might cause an enormous difference in monetary recovery. The good news is that in the above mentioned example, the new client may actually recover far more than his friend did. It all depends on the facts of the personal injury claim along with the negligent party’s resources or insurance coverage. The potential personal injury client should also keep in mind that different law firms compute attorney fees in different ways.
Another factor that causes apparent inconsistencies in recoveries is the difference in the jurisdictions in which cases are brought. In some jurisdictions the juries are more liberal in their awards; in others they are far more conservative. Also, if the case does make it to trial, the parties will be facing a jury, which might or might not be sympathetic to either the plaintiff or the defendant. In short, there are just too many variables to allow one to compare personal injury cases and their recoveries easily. No one case will match yours exactly, and nobody knows what your case will be worth until it has been investigated and evaluated carefully. That is the job of the skilled, experienced personal injury attorney, and all the more reason for you to find one as soon as possible after you suffer an accident. Even if you don’t believe yourself to have a claim it is always recommended that you let a qualified injury make the determination as to whether your case is viable or should be refused.
