The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that about 39 million people require medical attention related to various personal injuries every year—many of which leave a lasting impact on people’s lives.
Also, according to the CDC, every year, 29.4 million people seek medical attention at emergency departments for unintentional injuries.
A personal injury claim and corresponding settlement or verdict amount largely depend upon the type of injury. However, this is, by no means, the only factor that affects compensation.
What Is a Personal Injury Claim?
A personal injury claim comes about when an individual experiences an injury due to another person or party’s negligence. Personal injury cases are typically settled without filing a formal lawsuit, but occasionally they are litigated. However, it is more likely that filed claims go to mediation—in which the two parties agree to a resolution.
Personal injury cases come in various forms, from car accidents to medical malpractice. Some of these cases are common and result in minimal damages, which means there isn’t substantial money involved. However, other claims result in millions of dollars and many liable parties.
Examples of Personal Injuries With High Settlements
The Insurance Information Institute states that the following averages represent some of the types of personal injuries awarded in 2019:
Product Liability Cases – $7,400,000
Injuries caused by a dangerous or defective product may call for a product’s liability suit, which can be costly for the liable party(s). Hazardous medications, malfunctioning or unsafe toys, and faulty medical devices are a few examples of products that warrant this type of lawsuit.
Medical Malpractice Cases – $3,801,000
Medical malpractice cases can garner extremely high amounts of money to cover a person’s health expenses and losses. Negligent behavior from health providers can result in severe, life-altering injuries.
For example, failure to diagnose, a misdiagnosis, surgical mistakes, and pharmacy errors are common medical issues that can be litigated.
Premises Liability – $1,300,000
If you’re injured while legally present on another individual or party’s poorly maintained, dangerous property, you could have the right to sue the owner of that premises. These accidents can occur nearly anywhere, including:
- Stores
- Gas stations
- Restaurants
- Public swimming pools
Motor Vehicle Personal Injuries – $664,000
Many Americans are injured in motor vehicle accidents every year. Whether you’re a driver, passenger, cyclist, or pedestrian, you could be entitled to receive compensation if another individual’s careless actions led to an injury on or near a road.
Intentional Tort Cases Could Also Result in an Award
An intentional tort occurs when a person wrongfully and intentionally acts in a way that inflicts injury to another. They do not have to intend to cause the outcome for a claim to be valid, but they do need to intend to perpetuate the wrongful act. The egregious nature of such actions often warrants high awards for the injured person.
The consequences of the intentional infliction of harm can be severe and include bodily injury, emotional distress, property destruction, offensive contact, personal property loss, and other adverse effects.
The III also reports that the median award is $95,000 for all cases regardless of the circumstances that caused the personal injury.
Recoverable Damages
The following are common types of recoverable damages a personal injury victim could receive:
- Medical expenses: This concerns all forms of needed and reasonable medical care and treatment. Such losses could include ambulance rides, emergency rooms, hospitals, therapies, nursing, diagnostic testing, surgery, and others.
- Loss of earnings: Past and present loss of wages, commissions, bonuses, and other potentially recoverable earnings.
- Future loss of earnings: These damages compensate victims for lost earning power the accident prevents them from earning in the future.
- Scarring and disfigurement: If your injury causes scarring, you could be entitled to recover damages for the disfigurement and associated embarrassment. Your award could also cover the costs of cosmetic surgery.
- Damage to a marital relationship: Severe injuries to a spouse can harm the relationship. If this occurs, you and your spouse may be entitled to recover damages for the loss of affection, assistance, sexual relations, etc.
- Punitive damages: In some instances in which an accident was caused by criminal negligence (e.g., drunk driving), the victim may also be entitled to punitive damages above and beyond typical losses.
Please Seek Legal Help Today from Our Personal Injury Firm
If you are a personal injury victim, regardless of the circumstances, the sooner you begin researching your options, the sooner you may receive the monetary compensation you need.
Therefore, we urge you to “Call in the Strong Arm” today! For motor vehicle accidents, mass torts, and product liability, please contact us. It is often difficult to identify the average settlement for your kind of accident, but your lawyer will tell you what you could expect to recover.
