How Do Judges Determine Compensation for Personal Injury Victims?

If it is determined that the defendant in a personal injury case was responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries, the judge on the case will need to determine how much money the defendant needs to compensate the plaintiff for. The compensation amount in a personal injury case is determined by several different factors that should have been presented by the plaintiff’s lawyer in court.

The following are a few expenses that the plaintiff had to cover that will typically be factored into the compensation amount by the judge:

  1. Medical costs– While presenting the plaintiff’s case, the plaintiff’s lawyer will detail all the medical costs that were incurred as a result of the injury. This will include medical costs that have already been incurred and projected medical costs that will be incurred in the future by the injured plaintiff.
  2. Earnings that the plaintiff won’t have due to the injury- If the plaintiff is no longer able to work as a result of the injury, he or she will be compensated for any lost wages resulting from the accident in question.
  3. Property damage– Often, a personal injury case includes property damage that the plaintiff had to incur as a result of the defendant’s negligence. These damages will be factored into the compensation amount.
  4. Pain and suffering damages– Plaintiffs in personal injury cases are not only compensated for medical costs, but also for “pain and suffering damages”. However, it’s not as simple to calculate a monetary value for this type of damages as it is to calculate a value for medical and property damage costs. Plaintiffs are often also compensated for not only physical pain and suffering, but also mental consequences of their injury like distress and anguish.

If you are looking for the right legal representation for your case, contact the experts at Hilf & Hilf. We have the right criminal defense and personal injury team for the case. Contact us today for a consultation!

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