As personal injury lawyers, we are often asked if there is a Georgia personal injury calculator. There is no such a thing as a defined method to work out damages but there are formulas and guidelines used by insurance companies that attorneys are aware of.
A lawyer cannot tell you what your personal injury case is worth. There are too many variables. However, there are some rules of thumb. A personal injury calculation is made up of a number of sets of consideration. Some are easily ascertained while others are variable.
Is there a Georgia personal injury calculator?
Damages in a typical personal injury case include:
- Past medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Past lost wages
- Future lost wages
- Past and future pain and suffering,
- The cost of maintaining a quality of life
- Other damages like scarring and burns and losing your quality of life
- Property damage.
Although there is an established formula for assessing past and future medical bills and past and future lost wages, there is no agreed method of putting a figure on pain and suffering. To some extent, this is the subjective task of a judge or a jury if the case makes it to trial.
There is no universal method of calculating pain and suffering. Insurance companies typically use well-established methods to work out claims.
One method used by some personal injury lawyers and insurance companies is the per diem (Latin for “per day”) method. A certain sum of money, $100 for example, is assigned to every day from the day of the accident that caused the injury until the plaintiff reaches a maximum recovery.
Some insurance companies use computer programs to put a figure on pain and suffering. Often these programs produce the least advantageous result for injured parties.
Another method of calculation often used by injury lawyers and insurance companies is called the multiplier effect. A multiplier number is allocated to the case based on the seriousness of the injuries.
The multiplier number is typically between 1.5 and 5 depending on the seriousness of the injury sustained. For example, if an auto accident victim incurs $5,000 in medical bills related to a broken arm, the number might be three. An insurance company could conclude $15,000 represents a reasonable figure for pain and suffering.
Although there are formulas, there is nothing as formal as a Georgia personal injury calculator. A personal injury lawyer may have an idea of the range of possible damages applicable to your case but he will not be able to tell you how much your case is worth.
For more details contact the Law Office of Michael West and talk to a Georgia injury lawyer about your case. Call us at (404) 913-1529.