If you have ever made a personal injury claim against an insurance company, you know how hard it is to get a fair and full settlement. Insurance company Claims Adjusters will work hard to adjust the claim so that they settle injury claims favorable to the insurance company. While the Claims Adjusters may be willing to reimburse a portion of your medical expense and lost income, they are very reluctant to pay your full damages that result from the incident that caused the injury.
The reason why Claims Adjusters offer low settlements is because they will not voluntarily pay an injured persons non-economic damages. By non-economic damages, I am referring to your loss of health, loss of mobility, and loss of quality of life compensation. The reason why injured persons seek legal representation is because they want to obtain a full reimbursement of their past, present, and future loss of health, loss of mobility, and their loss of quality of life.
Loss of health refers to the disruption to the injured persons life caused from the injury. This includes the interferences imposed on the injured person due to medical treatment, therapy/rehabilitation, and medication. Loss of health also includes the interference associated with their ability to work, the disruption to their ability to sleep, and accounts for the activities they must limit or avoid due to their injuries.
Loss of mobility refers to the damages due to the physical limitations imposed upon the injured person due to their injuries. These are most commonly expressed in terms of difficulties with walking, sitting, standing, driving, lifting, bending, reaching, squatting, and kneeling. Often times the medical records are quite helpful in proving physical limitations. Loss of mobility is frequently considered a continuing damage, meaning the physical limitations that come from the injury will present longer-term issues for the injured person.
Finally, if the injuries have some sort of permanent effect into the future, the damages that result are referred to as loss of quality of life. While a person may regain his or her health or mobility, a traumatic injury often makes a person more susceptible to future pain, discomfort, or another injury.
If you or someone you know has been injured, it is better to be safe and take advantage of legal consultation in order that you can make the best decisions regarding settlement of your claim. I offer personal legal consultation at no-charge. Please contact me at dhorn@hornlaw.com.
