by Matt Williams

Personal InjuryFebruary 9, 20210 comments

How Much Money Will I Get Paid After Being Injured in a Car Accident?

The exact amount of money that you receive after being injured in a car accident depends on a few factors.  The extent of your injuries, your medical bills, and the at-fault driver’s insurance policy limits are the three most important components in determining how much money you’ll receive.  Future medical costs, pain and suffering, and how much time you missed from work will also be considered in determining the amount of compensation you’re eligible for.  Some people believe car accident victims are trying to get rich quick, but the purpose of receiving money after a car accident is to “make you whole” again or to put you back in the position you were in before the accident.  In most cases, making you “whole” is nearly impossible, so the money you receive is supposed to get you back to a place of normalcy like the accident never happened.

The extent of your injuries is always a major factor in evaluating a personal injury claim after a car accident, but the exact value of injuries can be difficult to calculate since everyone’s injuries are valued differently.  For example, a car accident involving a young Olympic track athlete who has their leg amputated will be valued differently than a car accident involving a retired elderly man who has his leg amputated, mainly because the track athlete’s earning capacity will be diminished much greater than the elderly man’s earning capacity.  The young athlete’s case will also be valued more in general because of the future medical costs the young athlete will have in comparison to the elderly retired man.  Obviously, the elderly man would receive a significant amount of compensation for his amputation, but the young athlete would likely be able to recover more for his or her injuries because the retired elderly man will face fewer long-term consequences given his age.

Medical bills, medical expenses, and lost wages are all expenses that the at-fault party’s insurance company is required to cover as well.  Medical bills are objective and can be easily calculated, but damages for pain and suffering are extremely subjective.  Using our example above, the young athlete and the elderly retired man may recover similar damages for pain and suffering at the time of the accident since they experienced similar injuries, but how long the pain lasted, how much they continue to suffer, and how much they plan to rehabilitate their injuries will likely be different.  The young athlete in our example may require multiple surgeries and physical therapy in the future as he or she attempts to learn to walk/run again, while the elderly man may decide to use a wheelchair or vice versa. Even when injuries are similar in nature, damages for pain and suffering or future medical costs may be drastically different.   

Even if the medical bills, pain and suffering and the future medical costs warrant hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, the insurance company is generally limited by the policy limits of the at-fault driver.  Meaning, if the at-fault driver has a $10,000.00 insurance policy limit, the insurance company will usually only cover up to $10,000.00 in damages regardless of what your injuries and damages amount to.  You can also recover individually from the at-fault driver, but most personal injury lawyers do not pursue individual claims against the at-fault driver unless the at-fault driver has assets available to cover any judgment the lawyer receives in the case. 

If you have been injured in a car accident or some other situation, then you should contact The Law Office of Matthew C. Williams to determine how much compensation you can receive for your injuries.  Insurance companies will oftentimes claim you are at fault, argue your injuries are superficial, or they will delay their case until you are willing to settle for less than your case is worth, but with the help of Attorney Williams, you will have the same resources, financial backing and experience that the insurance companies have. 

The Law Office of Matthew C. Williams focuses primarily on personal injury matters and we take pride in having a personal relationship with their clients.  Attorney Williams treats his clients like family because he knows what they are dealing with is always more than just a case, and he refuses to let adjusters, defense lawyers, or big insurance stand in the way of getting his clients what they deserve.  He obtains results for his clients and he’ll do the same for you, so give The Law Office of Matthew C. Williams a call to find out what your case is worth today.