What is the Average Personal Injury Settlement in Ohio and Kentucky?
Whether you’ve suffered injuries in a fall, car collision, dog attack, or another type of accident, you’re likely wondering if you have a case—and if so, how much your case is worth. It’s normal to want a clear-cut answer, particularly if you have medical bills piling up and no idea how you’ll pay them off. But while a quick search may give you an average settlement amount, those numbers don’t really tell you the full story of what your claim is worth and what factors affect its value.
Wondering how much your claim is worth and whether you should take legal action? The team at Crandall & Pera Law, LLC can help you plan your next steps. Call us to schedule a consultation now.
Is there really an average personal injury settlement?
It’s easy to find articles quoting average settlement amounts across the country, but the numbers in these articles can be misleading. Personal injury settlements are often private or subject to confidentiality agreements, so the amounts used to calculate averages are often only those that have been publicly disclosed.
Personal injury claims vary widely in terms of severity, strength of evidence, damages, and outcome. Even two accidents that seem similar at first may have factors that lead to very different settlements.
Additionally, it’s easy for very small or very large numbers to skew averages. Consider a group of ten injury victims. Nine of them receive $1,000 settlements, but the last one receives $1 million. The average is $100,900, but that number doesn’t really reflect the average experience of that group. The same is true on a statewide scale; a few very large settlements caused by catastrophic injuries and egregious misconduct can skew the average.
What factors affect the value of an injury settlement?
The amount you ultimately receive in an injury settlement is affected by a number of factors, including:
- The type of accident
- The severity of your injuries
- How much insurance is available from the at-fault party
- If fault is disputed
- How the injuries will affect you long-term
- The strength of your evidence
- The personal injury laws in your state, especially those covering comparative negligence
For example, someone who experiences a simple bone break that recovers fully without complications will likely receive a very different settlement offer than someone who has a permanent loss of mobility due to amputation or traumatic brain injury. But even if cases are similar, outcomes may be different because of other factors in each case.
Because these factors have such a heavy influence on every personal injury claim, looking for information on the average personal injury settlement in Ohio may not yield information that is relevant for your case.
How is pain and suffering compensation calculated?
Pain and suffering compensation is one area where settlements may vary quite a bit from person to person. While it’s pretty easy to calculate medical bills and lost wages, determining the financial value of pain and suffering is a little more nuanced.
In Ohio, noneconomic damages are also subject to statutory caps in many personal injury cases, although exceptions apply to certain permanent catastrophic injuries. There isn’t one set formula that applies to every case. Insurance companies, attorneys, and juries look at different factors when considering pain and suffering damages. Relevant factors include the severity of the injury, the length of recovery, any permanent impairment, emotional distress, and overall impact on quality of life.
Even though pain and suffering can’t exactly be proven in the same way that medical bills or lost wages can, thorough documentation is still an important part of your claim. Medical documentation like physician evaluations, therapy notes, and prescription records can demonstrate how an injury has affected your life.
Depending on the specifics of your case, your attorney may use different calculations to estimate what your pain and suffering may be worth in negotiations. Some rely on the multiplier method, which multiplies your economic damages by a number between one and five depending on the severity of your injuries. Another is the per diem method, which assigns a dollar value to each day of your recovery. These aren’t set numbers, though, and they’re often just used as a starting point.
How much can you get for a personal injury lawsuit?
Unfortunately, there’s no fixed dollar amount that applies to every claim. It’s easy to find calculators and claims online promising you that your case is worth massive amounts of money, but any real estimate has to start with an in-depth discussion of your case.
This is why we recommend speaking to a personal injury lawyer in Ohio or Kentucky as soon as possible after an accident. An experienced personal injury attorney can look at the details of your accident, injuries, and evidence to evaluate the strength of your case. They’ll also likely be able to provide valuable insight about the at-fault party’s insurance company, how they usually negotiate, and factors that may complicate your claim.
Ultimately, personal injury claims can settle for anywhere from less than $1,000 to more than $1 million. When looking at personal injury verdicts in your area, note that they don’t necessarily reflect the average or what you should expect from your claim. They may reflect a law firm’s most impressive achievements or most complex cases—not their average case.
Curious about the value of your personal injury? Contact Crandall & Pera Law, LLC now
If you’ve been injured because of another person’s negligence, you could be owed compensation—but you won’t know how much your case is worth until you talk to a personal injury lawyer. Claim your free case evaluation and let our lawyers look at your case and give our best estimate. Schedule your consultation now by calling us or sending us a message online.