How Much Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
There is no fixed amount. The value of a personal injury claim depends on the extent of your injuries and how they have affected your life. Two accidents that look similar on paper can result in very different compensation.
Wyndham Law Firm LLC has built substantial experience evaluating and handling personal injury claims in Charleston and throughout South Carolina. To understand what your claim may be worth, it helps to know what goes into its value and which damages may be recoverable.
What Determines the Value of a Personal Injury Claim?
The starting point is your documented losses. Depending on how the injury has affected you, economic damages may include:
- Medical expenses: The cost of treatment you have already received because of your injury.
- Future medical care: Expected costs when your injury will require additional treatment or ongoing care.
- Lost income: Income you lost because your injury prevented you from working.
- Loss of earning capacity: The financial impact when a lasting injury reduces your ability to earn income in the future.
Not every loss has a clear dollar amount. South Carolina also allows recovery for non-economic losses, including pain and suffering and the ways an injury affects your daily life. Because these losses don’t come with a bill or pay stub, their value depends on the evidence showing how the injury has affected you and how long those effects are expected to last.
Shared Fault Can Affect What You Recover
Even when someone else caused your injury, the amount you recover can be affected if you’re also found partly at fault. Under South Carolina’s modified comparative negligence rule, your compensation is reduced according to your percentage of responsibility.
For example, if your damages total $100,000 and you’re found 20% at fault, you could recover $80,000. If you’re found more than 50% responsible, however, you generally cannot recover damages.
This makes the determination of fault relevant not only to whether you have a claim, but also to how much you may ultimately recover.
How Wyndham Law Firm Can Help With Your Claim
Evaluating your claim means looking at your current losses and the future effects of your injury. The evidence behind your losses and any dispute over fault can also affect how much you may recover.
Wyndham Law Firm LLC can review this information and assess how South Carolina law applies to the compensation you may seek. If you have questions about the compensation available in your case, contact us for a free consultation or call 843-279-5312.