How Much Is Your Illinois Personal Injury Case Worth?
When you are injured because of someone else’s intentional act or negligence, you probably know that you may qualify to receive a settlement through a personal injury claim. One of the first questions you likely have is how much your settlement will be. The answer: It depends.
Various factors influence the amount of compensation you may obtain. If you do not know how eligible damages are calculated, you might accept a low settlement offer that does not fully cover your expenses and related losses. Your attorney from Kanoski Bresney can help you get the highest possible amount.
What Damages May Be Available in Your IL Personal Injury Claim?
In personal injury cases, damages are sums of money you may receive as reimbursement or compensation. These damages are categorized, with differing criteria for each category.
Compensatory Damages
Your accident and injury have likely cost money, and their harmful effects may have negatively impacted your life. Compensatory damages reflect your qualifying losses.
Economic Damages
As the name implies, economic damages reimburse you for eligible accident-related expenses such as:
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Current and future medical expenses
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Replacement services and ongoing care
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Current and future lost wages
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Property damage
This category is compensated dollar-for-dollar, so be sure to keep all accident-related bills and receipts. Your attorney will use them to ensure accurate reimbursement. For example, your attorney may use pay stubs to calculate the wages you lost due to your accident and recovery period.
Non-Economic Damages
Intangible wounds can significantly affect your quality of life after an injury accident. These conditions are subjective and hard to quantify. Typically, the more severely they affect you, the higher your compensation may be. Common conditions include:
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Anxiety, depression, and PTSD
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Damage to personal relationships
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Losing the ability to enjoy life
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Pain and suffering
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Permanent disfigurement or disability
Liable insurance companies often fight paying non-economic damages. They may claim that these conditions do not exist or that their impact on your life is not as severe as you say. Your lawyer from Kanoski Bresney knows how to overcome these challenges to help you achieve a satisfactory result.
Punitive Damages
In some cases, the defendant exhibits specific kinds of outrageous behaviors in causing your injuries. You may be awarded punitive damages, but this category does not relate to how your losses affect you. Instead, they are intended to punish the defendant further and deter similar behaviors in the future.
What Is an Average Settlement Amount?
Every attorney would love to answer this question, but there is no such thing as an average settlement. How much you might receive depends on several case-specific factors, which include:
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The total of your qualifying expenses
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How much money you earn through your job
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Whether you share fault for causing your accident
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The severity of the impacts on your life
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The skills of your attorney
Although any lawyer can technically handle your claim, you need one who focuses on personal injury law and has experience handling similar cases. An effective attorney understands the applicable laws, how insurance companies may try to take advantage of you, and ways to maximize your settlement amount. In Central Illinois, you can find effective attorneys at Kanoski Bresney.
Request Your Free Consultation With Our Skilled Springfield, IL Personal Injury Lawyers Today
Results matter. Kanoski Bresney can help you achieve favorable results in your personal injury claim and obtain the most possible compensation. Call us at 888-826-8682 now to speak with one of our dedicated Bloomington, IL personal injury attorneys.