If you are injured in a car accident in New Orleans, you might be tempted to represent yourself when you file your accident claim with the insurance company. The insurance adjuster for the other driver will not try to dissuade you from representation yourself because it makes his job easier.
The insurance adjuster’s job is to pay as little as possible to settle your accident claim. If you hire an attorney, the attorney may tell you that the adjuster is undervaluing your claim. Therefore, an adjuster is not going to advise you of the true value of your claim nor of your right to consult with legal counsel before providing any statements or signing any documents for the company.
Could You Answer This Question?
What is the value of my pain and suffering claim? It is easier to total your medical bills, lost income, and other out-of-pocket expenses for an accident claim than it is to place a value on your pain and suffering damages. Economic or financial damages are calculated using bills, invoices, pay advices, and other tangible evidence that substantiates the amount of money you lost because of the accident, your injury, and your recovery.
However, if you have a permanent injury, calculating economic damages can become difficult. Estimating future losses of income and the cost of ongoing medical care can be difficult without the assistance of financial experts.
Even if you can correctly determine the value of your economic or financial damages, do you know how to value your pain and suffering damages? Pain and suffering damages include:
- Physical pain
- Emotional stress
- Mental anguish
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
- Permanent disabilities
Placing a dollar figure on your pain and suffering can be very difficult. There is not a statutory formula for calculating the pain and suffering in an accident claim. However, some of the factors used when determining an amount for pain and suffering include:
- The nature of your injuries,
- Severity of injuries;
- Length of recovery;
- Amount of actual or financial damages;
- Whether there is permanent disability, scarring, or disfigurement; and,
- Level of disruption to daily life and relationship to others.
It can be very difficult to know how much money to claim for pain and suffering damages unless you have experience handling personal injury claims.
Hire a New Orleans Personal Injury Attorney
If you are injured in an accident, a NoLA personal injury attorney can calculate the value of your claim in addition to providing support, guidance, and advice. The insurance company has a team of professionals, including adjusters, appraisers, attorneys, and experts, working on its behalf. You deserve to have a team on your side who will work even more aggressively to protect your legal interests and rights.
For a free legal consultation and no-obligation case evaluation, call Attorney Fred Olinde of The Olinde Firm at (504) 587-1440 or 1-800-587-1889. During your free consultation with a New Orleans accident attorney, you can learn more about your legal rights and options for filing an accident claim. We can also explain how our attorneys can help you maximize the chance of receiving full compensation for your claim.