What Is My Case Worth?
When deciding to sue or not.
When you’re deciding whether to sue for an injury caused by another person or company’s carelessness, the first question you are likely to ask is… “What is my case worth?” The answer depends on what kind of damages to you were caused by the other party’s negligence.
Some of your damages are easily seen.
Some damages to you, that are recoverable, are easy to see. If a negligent driver runs into your car and injures you, you can recover the cost of repairing or replacing your car and the cost of your medical bills related to your accident. You can also recover any lost wages because of time you missed from work due to your injuries.
Pain And Suffering.
Other kinds of damages are harder for you to see. If you have been hurt, you can usually recover something for the “pain and suffering” caused by the injury. You can also recover for things that are likely to happen in the future because of the injury you have suffered. An example would be any permanent disfigurement. An ongoing impairment caused by the injury that is serious enough to permanently affect your ability to lead your life or earn a living.
If the lingering effects of your injury mean that you cannot perform the same work. On going losses should be compensable, such as you playing the same recreational sports as you did before being injured. Although the amount of those losses to you are often hard to accurately estimate.
Your Spouse And Family
Your spouse and family may also be entitled to recover monetary damages because of the injury you suffered. If your injury prevents you from performing the “household services” you would have otherwise done. Items such ascleaning the house or mowing the lawn, these losses are worth something. So are the emotional damages to your relationship with your family caused by your injury. A “loss of consortium” is the correct term for these damages.
Recapping, recovered damages in a negligence lawsuit are limited only by the damages caused to you by negligence.
If you have any questions about what you can recover for an injury you have suffered, please contact us. Every case is fact-specific, and we would be happy to discuss your situation with you. (Also at no charge to you of course).
The actual resolution of your legal issues depends upon many factors, including variations of facts, evidence and Texas law.
Our alert blog is not intended to provide you with legal advice on specific subjects, but rather to provide you with insight into legal developments and issues.
You should always consult with legal counsel such as Joey Messina of The Messina Law Firm before taking action on matters covered by this or any other of our alert blogs.