- September 16, 2021
- Personal Injury
If you've been seriously injured, you may want to consider filing a personal injury claim. A settlement from a personal injury case can help you financially as well as physically and mentally when it comes to your recovery. However, knowing how much to ask for can be challenging. An experienced personal injury attorney can not only help you figure out what a fair settlement would be but also help you win your case. When you're ready to file your personal injury claim, reach out to the team at Goodman Acker.
What Is a Personal Injury?
"Personal injury" is a legal term that allows an individual to file a claim to recover damages for losses due to an accident or incident. This claim allows the injured party to be compensated financially after suffering from another person's negligence or intentional conduct, which caused harm to the victim. Most personal injuries fall under one of four categories:
- Accidents. When one person's carelessness or negligence causes harm to another person, it's considered an accident. This includes car accidents, bus accidents, medical malpractice, and slip and fall accidents.
- Intentional acts. Assault and battery resulting in injury are intentional acts that are covered under personal injury law.
- Defective products. A defective or dangerous consumer product, pharmaceutical, vehicle component, or other product that causes harm may lead to a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer.
- Defamation. False statements that someone publishes as facts about you can also result in a personal injury claim.
What Are Some Common Personal Injury Claims?
While personal injuries are generally categorized according to those four types, those broad categories can cover a wide variety of personal injury situations. For instance:
- Car accident. This occurs when two or more vehicles collide, causing property damage and injury.
- Truck accident. These types of accidents involving semi-trucks, 18-wheelers, and tractor-trailers generally cause a lot of damage due to the vehicle's sheer size.
- Pedestrian accidents. Being hit by a motor vehicle as a pedestrian can cause serious injuries.
- Dog bites. This applies when a dog bites but the victim did nothing to provoke the attack or cause the dog to strike out in self-defense.
- Premises liability. Injuries that occur on someone's property or at a business can be the responsibility of the owner of that property.
- Nursing home abuse. This refers to mistreatment of the patients at the hands of the nursing home staff.
- Workers' compensation. When you're injured on the job, your employer can be held liable.
- Wrongful death. This refers to death caused by recklessness or carelessness.
What Is the Average Payout for a Personal Injury Claim?
Because every personal injury claim is unique, there is no single answer to this question. However, the knowledgeable team at Goodman Acker can apply their expertise and experience to provide you with an estimate of a fair settlement. Damages can be compensatory and/or punitive in a personal injury case. Compensatory damages are further broken down into economic and non-economic damages:
- Economic damages. This includes lost wages, the cost of transportation to and from appointments, medical bills, and the cost of rehabilitation services, as well as future medical bills, lost wages, and earning capacity.
- Non-economic damages. These are intended to compensate for emotional or mental anguish, loss of joy in activities, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.
Punitive damages may also be awarded in a personal injury case if the defendant is found to have been grossly negligent or malicious. These damages are designed to punish the defendant further for their actions.
Example Results of Personal Injury Claims Represented by Goodman Acker
Although we can't provide you with a hard-and-fast answer to what you can expect as an average payout, we can provide you with a few examples of settlments from personal injury claims we have represented in the past and their payout amounts. Examples include:
- Wayne County wrongful death: $735,000
- Wayne County pedestrian versus motor vehicle$: 1,925,000
- Wayne County motorcycle accident: $1,900,000
- Oakland County auto accident: $225,000
- Wayne Country taxi cab accident: $375,000
- Wayne County auto negligence: $760,000
- Macomb County truck accident: $1,425,000
- Oakland Country insurance underpayment: $360,000
- Oakland County premises liability: $220,000
- Oakland County slip-and-fall: $365,000
- Wayne County bicycle accident: $750,000
- Oakland County dog bite: $100,000
- Wayne County medical malpractice: $1,200,000
- Wayne County products liability: $750,000
- Ypsilanti burn injury: $450,000
As you can see, the team at Goodman Acker has experience in many different areas of personal injury and has successfully reached a settlement in these cases and others.
Do I Need a Personal Injury Attorney?
The simple answer to this question is no. A personal injury attorney is not required in order for you to file a claim against the defendant. However, you should know that your odds of winning your case for the settlement you deserve are significantly increased with a personal injury lawyer. A personal injury attorney has the knowledge base and experience to fight to protect your rights and get you a fair settlement. The defendant will have someone fighting to keep them from having to pay out a large compensation, so you should have an attorney in your corner as well.
How Long Does a Personal Injury Case Take?
Again, there's no definitive answer for the length of time it will take to settle your case. Several factors can influence the length of your case, including:
- Type and severity of injuries.
- Medical prognosis.
- Necessary rehabilitation.
- Medical needs.
- Future medical needs.
- Disputed liability.
- Ability to return to work.
Once a claim is filed, you can expect the initial and discovery phases to take several months. During the discovery phase, both sides have the opportunity to ask questions and request documents to build their case. If you can reach an agreement, then the process is done, and a settlement is reached. If not, a trial date will be set, and the process may take a year or two to complete.
The attorneys at Goodman Acker have a combined experience of over 150 years and a 99% success rate in winning cases. They have the knowledge and expertise to get you the settlement you deserve. Let Goodman Acker take the stress and worry of a personal injury case off your hands so that you can focus on healing during this time of recovery. Call us today for a free consultation. If you or someone you love has been involved in a personal injury case, reach out to the team at Goodman Acker by phone or via our convenient online form.