How to Calculate Damages after a Personal Injury Accident

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Victims who were involved in a personal injury accident are entitled to claim compensations for the damages of the accident. What’s more, there are two different types of damages that the plaintiff can ask for and they include both the actual expenses caused by being involved in that accident and the compensations for the psychological distress of having been in that situation. All of these damages can be calculated using a personal injury calculator and with the legal aid provided by a Los Angeles personal injury attorney.

 

General damages

 

The first types of compensations a victim can claim after a personal injury accident are the economic damages, sometimes also referred to as the special damages. These include the actual expenses that can be added up once the invoices are issues. Included in this category are the following:

 

  • medical expenses: for the treatment needed immediately after the accident and in the future;
  • lost wages: the income lost as a direct inability to work after the accident, both present and future;
  • property damage: all of the damage sustained to personal property involved in the accident; more common in case of vehicle accidents.

 

These special or purely economic damages can be easily added up by using a personal injury calculator once you’ve had the chance of going through the needed medical care and you are aware of the expenses.

 

Quantifying pain and suffering

 

The other types of damages awarded to a victim are the so-called general damages, or those damages for pain and suffering, loss of companionship and general distress in the aftermath of the accident.

 

Generally, insurance companies will use one of two ways to calculate these:

 

  1. the multiplier method: a multiplier between 1.5 and 5 is added to the medical expenses which are calculated beforehand;
  2. the per day method: each day of pain is compensated for with a set amount.

 

While you can generally use the settlement calculator and the pain and suffering calculations to determine your own settlement, it is always recommended to talk to a personal injury lawyer in order to determine if the settlement you are asking for is the right one for your type of accident.