HOW MUCH IS FAIR COMPENSATION FOR INJURY?
Mark Twain was once asked, ‘what is the value of an arm?’ His response: ‘Your arm or mine?’
Our injury lawyers wrestle with this question every day. Someone injured in an accident because of another person’s negligence is entitled to compensation. As a starting point, medical bills must be paid. It is like if you break something at someone’s house.Of course, you want to pay for the thing you broke. Likewise, if you spill wine on someone, you should pay to have their clothes cleaned.The same principle applies when you injure someone.
However, with injury compensation, there is more than medical bills. The next consideration is lost income. When someone is seriously injured, they may not be able to work for an extended time. If so, the person who caused the injury should repay that lost income.
Obviously, payment of another person’s expensive medical bills and lost wages could be unrealistic for the person who caused the accident. Fortunately, most people have insurance. For example, many accidental injury cases come from a car accident. In those cases, auto insurance will pay the compensation. Similarly, homeowner’s insurance will pay in many other situations.
Medical bills and lost wages from an accident are obvious for compensation. But to be fair, there should be more. Our lawyers have represented hundreds of people injured in an accident. We witness the suffering and disruption our clients and their families go through. In fact, there are support groups throughout Minnesota to help people deal with these situations. It is hard to put a dollar value on someone’s pain and suffering. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PAIN AND SUFFERING COMPENSATION
Financial compensation for an accident injury can provide many benefits. For example, our lawyers have had clients need special equipment for the rest of their lives. In some cases, people have had to move to a new home that is more accommodative to their needs. However, when it comes to pain and suffering, there is another purpose. Sometimes the compensation is recognition of what has been done to a person. What has been taken away. Some of our clients have given their settlement money to family and friends. In other cases, they give some of the money to charity. Paying money compensation is a way of acknowledging the seriousness of the situation and trying to make amends.
Our personal injury lawyers handle cases throughout Minnesota. If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, call us to discuss your case. We have 25 years’ experience getting people fair compensation for their injuries.