What Will My Personal Injury Claim Be Worth?
The value of your case will turn on a variety of factors, including the nature of your accident, the extent of your injuries, and the financial resources of the company or person who is responsible.
Because legal claims are so complex, the most important thing you can do is (1) hire an attorney who you feel is competent and will look out for you, and (2) do everything you can to make sure that attorney has all the information needed to thoroughly evaluate, negotiate, and (if necessary) litigate your case.
Types of Damages Recoverable
One factor that will influence the value of your case is the damages you are entitled to seek. This is dependent on the nature of your injuries and the kinds of legal claims you are entitled to assert.
Assume, for example, that you have been seriously injured in a car accident in Houston. If you hire Morrow & Sheppard LLP to handle your claim, your attorney will carefully review your file to determine whether you have an actionable case.
In assessing your case, your lawyer will consider both your “economic” and “non-economic” damages. Economic damages represent your monetary losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, and damages to personal property. Non-economic damages include damages from pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, disfigurement, and physical impairment.
Depending on the nature of your automobile accident, your lawyer may also consider whether a claim for punitive damages is appropriate in your case. Punitive damages are generally only awarded where the defendant’s actions are particularly reckless or dangerous.
Case Valuation Is Complex
While the Houston personal injury attorneys at Morrow & Sheppard LLP will undertake a thorough evaluation of your claim (i.e. a Jones Act claim), no attorney can guarantee the dollar amount that you will ultimately receive for your injuries. If a law firm promises you a specific recovery or favorable result, you should be very wary of hiring the firm to handle your claim. An honest personal injury attorney will explain that many different variables can impact the outcome of your case. He or she should take you through the valuation process so that you have a realistic assessment of your case. Your lawyer should also provide straightforward answers to your questions and give you a clear understanding of all legal avenues that may be available to you.
In our personal injury practice, we see a great number of potential clients who want us to tell them exactly what their case is worth. Regardless of whether your claim involves a simple slip and fall accident or a complex work injury, such as a plant explosion or an oilfield accident, when you meet with the lawyers at Morrow & Sheppard LLP for an initial consultation, you should not expect your attorney to predict precisely what your case is worth. Rather, you should spend your time carefully reviewing your accident and injuries with your lawyer, and spend time asking the questions you need in order to determine whether the attorney is the right personal injury lawyer for you.
Common Questions
- What Should I Do Right Now?
- Why Do I Need To Act Fast?
- Should I Sign Anything Or Give A Statement?
- I Don’t Live In Texas. What Should I Do?
- Will My Case Settle?
- I Don’t Know If I Can Afford A Lawsuit – How Much Does It Cost?
- What About Doctors & Medical Bills?
- What If My Employer Finds Out?
- What Is a Personal Injury?
- What is the Purpose of a Personal Injury Claim?
- What Will My Personal Injury Claim Be Worth?
- What Compensation Will I Be Entitled to Receive?
- Do All Personal Injury Cases Go to Trial?
- Personal Injury Negligence
- What Is Personal Injury Negligence?
- What Must Be Shown In A Personal Injury Negligence Case?
- Who Owes You A Negligence Duty?
- Does An Employer Have Special Duties?
- What Damages Can I Recover In A Personal Injury Negligence Lawsuit?
- How Long Do I Have To File A Personal Injury Negligence Lawsuit?
- What Are Examples Of Personal Injury Negligence Lawsuits?
- No Fee Promise
- Do I Really Need a Personal Injury Attorney?
- Who Has Claims For Wrongful Death?
- What Is The Jones Act?
- What Is The Death On The High Seas Act?
- Who Is A Jones Act Seaman?
- About Other Wrongful Death Actions
- How Long Do I Have To Pursue A Jones Act Claim?
- What Jones Act Damages Can I Recover?
- Who Can I Sue Under the Jones Act?
- What Is Jones Act Negligence?
- What Are Examples of Jones Act Cases?
- Maritime Law & Unseaworthiness
- Maritime Injury Lawyer Rules
- What Evidence Matters In 18 Wheeler Trucking Or Commercial Vehicle Accidents?
- Who Is Responsible For My 18 Wheeler Or Commercial Vehicle Accident?
- What Legal Claims Am I Entitled To Bring?
- How Common Are 18 Wheeler Truck And Commercial Vehicle Accidents? Why Are They Significant?
- What Kind Of Commercial Trucks Are There?
- Are There Special Inspection Requirements For 18 Wheeler Trucks And Commercial Vehicles?
- What Are Common Causes Of 18 Wheeler Truck And Commercial Vehicle Accidents?
- Inadequately Trained Or Unqualified Drivers
- Improper Maintenance & Inspection
- Driver Fatigue
- Poor Route Planning
- Failure To Properly Secure Cargo
- Specific Issues Involving Vocational Trucks
- Hazardous Materials & Oversized Loads
- Distracted Truck Drivers
- Braking & Tire Issues
- Speeding
- Weather Conditions
- Alcohol and Drugs
- What Oilfields Are Active In Texas?
- What Is Shale?
- What Is Hydraulic Fracturing Or “Fracking”?
- What Does The Texas Railroad Commission Have To Do With Oil & Gas?
- What Is The Barnett Shale?
- What Is The Eagle Ford Shale?
- What Is The Granite Walsh Formation?
- What Is The Haynesville Shale?
- What Is The Permian Basin?
- How Many Oilfield Accidents Have There Been In Texas?
- Do I Have A “Strict Liability” Products Personal Injury Claim?
- What Goes Into A Products Liability Claim?
- What Is A Product Defect?
- What Kinds of Product Defects Are There?
- What If There Have Been Other Accidents Involving The Same Product
- Do I Have To Prove Negligence In A Products Liability Case?
- What Is A Product Recall?
- What If The Product Cannot Be Traced Back To The Manufacturer?
- Who Are The Defendants In A Products Liability Case?
- Do I Have Any Other Claims?
- What Damages Can I Recover?
- What Are Examples Of Industrial Accidents?
- What Is OSHA?
- What Rights Do Workers Have Under OSHA?
- What Are The Most Common OSHA Violations?
- What Is The Chemical Safety Board?
- How Old Are Most Refineries? What Condition Are They In?
- What Refineries Are Active In Texas? Have They Had Safety Incidents?
- Incidents At Alon’s Big Spring Refinery
- Incidents At Calumet’s San Antonio Refinery
- Incidents At Citgo’s Corpus Christi Refinery
- Incidents At Delek’s Tyler Refinery
- Incidents At ExxonMobil’s Baytown Refinery
- Incidents At ExxonMobil’s Beaumont Refinery
- Incidents At Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi Refinery
- Incidents At Lyondell’s Houston Refinery
- Incidents At Marathon’s Galveston Bay Refinery
- Incidents At Marathon’s Texas City Refinery
- Incidents At Petrobras’s Pasadena Refinery
- Incidents At Shell’s Deer Park Refinery
- Incidents At The Motiva Port Arthur Refinery
- Incidents At The Valero Port Arthur Refinery
- Incidents At Total’s Port Arthur Refinery
- Incidents At Valero’s Bill Greehey East & West Refineries
- Incidents At Valero’s Houston Refinery
- Incidents At Valero’s McKee Refinery In Sunray, Texas
- Incidents At Valero’s Texas City Refinery
- Incidents At Valero’s Three Rivers Refinery
- Incidents At Western Refining’s El Paso Refinery