If I sustained a cervical sprain/strain injury from a bus accident and my $medical bills are $7,200 with $900 of lost income, how much is my settlement?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

If I sustained a cervical sprain/strain injury from a bus accident and my $medical bills are $7,200 with $900 of lost income, how much is my settlement?

Asked on December 1, 2014 under Personal Injury, Pennsylvania

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 9 years ago | Contributor

There is no hrad and fast answer. IF you went to trial and won, the most you'd get would be the sum of your medical bills (the out-of-pocket, or not paid by insurance, part), lost wages, other out-of-pocket expenses, and possibly some "pain and suffering" if you experienced weeks or more of pain, impairment, disability, etc. Your write about $8,100 of costs; for the sake of this example, lets' assume you also had some out of pocket costs (e.g. had to take cabs or car services; had to hire someone to clean for you) and might get something for pain and suffering; I'll round to to $10,000.

When you settle, you accept less than that. You accept less, because you get the money faster, without the cost and uncertainty (you don't always win, even with good cases) of trial. And paying less is the other side's incentive to settle. Usually, the earlier in the process you settle, the less you receive (which makes sense: when you settle early, you incurred less costs and delays).

Generally, settlement range from 25% to 60% of the amount at stake, so a settlement in your case, using the $10,000 figure I put out above, might be $2,500 to $6,000, with the amount depending on when you settle, strength of your case, and the personality of the decision maker on the other side. You'll rarely get the full amount you're seeking, since for that, they'll typically go to trial--why settle if they are not saving anything?


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption