What is a fair settlement for a St. Louis car accident claim or car accident lawsuit?
Posted By
on Feb 15, 2011 5:00pm PST
So what types of compensation can you expect to receive in a car accident injury claim? That depends on the liability and damages in your case. First, is there another party who is legally liable to you for causing damage your car and body? If so, we can move on to the next step of determining what your damages are and putting a dollar figure on the value of your case.
In any St. Louis car accident claim, you are entitled to financial compensation for economic and non-economic damages. You are entitled to recovery for your medical expenses, both past and future, as well as your prescription costs. Health insurance is not admissible in a courtroom in Missouri, therefore, your medical expenses are whatever the hospital or doctor charged you OR your health insurance carrier. A defendant can never bring up health insurance at trial. The judge would call a mistrial if that were to take place.
A car accident claim can also include pain and suffering and other forms of non-economic damages. Pain & suffering can encompass anxiety, loss of sleep, depression...basically both physical and emotional pain & suffering. There is no set formula to calculate a pain and suffering claim. Some people say that three times medical bills will represent a
pain and suffering claim. There is no real truth to this theory.
Bottom line is that each Missouri car accident injury claim has its own value. The best way to assess the value in your case is to contact a
St. Louis personal injury lawyer and discuss the facts of your case with a competent injury attorney.