How Much Your Personal Injury Case Is Worth In Texas

How Much Your Personal Injury Case Is Worth In Texas

Your 2023 injury case settlement offer will be based on many factors

We are often asked by clients who have been injured, how much is my personal injury claim worth in Texas? Part of our role as Austin personal injury lawyers, is to understand the potential value of your personal injury settlement, and how much a fair settlement amount would be to resolve your legal claim. This is an important question to ask, as the value of your claim will determine how much compensation you may be able to receive for your losses.

Understanding the value of your claim can be difficult, particularly in car accident settlements for example, where there are so many factors to consider for compensation. Knowing this value will also help you make informed decisions about whether to accept a settlement offer from the insurance company in your personal injury case.

The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, including:

  • the severity of your injuries.

  • the state in which the accident occurred.

  • the venue in which the accident occured.

  • what the insurance coverage and applicable policy limits are.

  • conduct by the at fault party.

  • An evaluation of your non economic damages.

  • An evaluation of your economic damages.

  • Future medical expenses.

In Texas, personal injury claims are governed by a modified comparative negligence rule, which means that your damages will be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to you. Additionally, one of the many common defenses to personal injury cases may be used to try and reduce your compensation at negotiation. However, even if you are found to be partially at fault for an accident, you may still be able to recover compensation for your injuries in your personal injury case. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you determine the value of your claim and fight for the maximum compensation available under the law.

Average Personal Injury Settlements in Texas

Recent data collected on the average personal injury settlement payout for a Texas personal injury claim shows that average settlement values are increasing. This would likely follow the trend of many factors, including increasing medical costs and rising inflation in general. For instance, in Texas car accidents, there is data that can give illustration of where the trend is headed for the average car accident settlement and personal injury case.

Data collected from the Insurance Information Institute would indicate that the average car accident injury settlement payout has increased from $15,441 in 2013 to $22,734 in 2021. This data was drawn from research into payouts from major insurance company injury settlements after a private passenger auto loss. 

In fact, the trend would indicate that the average settlement continues to increase year over year. Below is data that has been pulled from the Institute's study:

YearClaim Payout Severity
2013$15,441
2014$15,384
2015$17,014
2016$16,082
2017$16,143
2018$17,102
2019$18,204
2020$19,691
2021$22,734
Insurance Information Institute's Study, "Private Passenger Auto Insurance Losses, 2012-2021"

Source: https://www.iii.org/table-archive/21040

As medical costs continue to rise, the value of personal injury claims is likely to increase as well. Additionally, as more research is conducted on the long-term effects of certain injuries, the value of claims related to these injuries may also rise.

This will also depend, in part, on the course of action adopted by the insurance industry on how to evaluate a claimant’s injuryies. Of course, the value of any particular personal injury claim will depend on a variety of factors, including the severity of the injury, the extent of the damages, and the skill of the legal representation. Hiring a personal injury law firm to represent you in an accident injury settlement or through litigation in civil court will help make sure that your damages are advocated for.

The Severity of Your Damages Impacts Your Settlement Value

When you have been hurt in an accident in Texas and are seeking compensation to cover the damages associated with your injuries, it is important to understand that the total worth of your claim may vary depending on the severity of the damage or harm done.

In a personal injury case, severe injuries such as broken bones, spinal cord damage, or disabling wounds often result in claims of greater value than minor cuts and bruises. These injuries often cause severe non economic damages as well. The evidence to support causation between these damages and the incident will have a major impact on your chances of winning the personal injury case.

Additionally, the costs related to medical treatment and other damages should be taken into consideration when evaluating the full scope of a claim.

Medical bills

When it comes to calculating the settlement value of a personal injury claim, one of the most significant factors that are taken into account is the medical bills incurred by the injured party. Medical bills can make up a significant portion of a personal injury claim as they reflect the extent and severity of the injuries sustained.

man, sign, paper

In general, the more severe the injury, the higher the medical bills, and also the higher the non economic damages that result. Severe injuries often require more extensive medical treatment, which can result in higher medical bills. This plays an important role in a personal injury case.

Future damages

It's important to also remember that economic damages are not limited to just the immediate medical expenses in a personal injury case. They may also include future medical costs such as ongoing treatment, rehabilitation, or physical therapy. As well as non medical related losses like lost income in car accident claims.

In injury cases, these future costs must be taken into account when calculating the value of a personal injury claim. A skilled personal injury attorney can help individuals work with medical professionals to accurately estimate their future medical expenses and ensure that they are adequately compensated for their injuries. Receiving this documentation is critical in personal injury cases.

Where Your Accident Occurred Impacts Case Value

When filing a personal injury claim, the venue in which your case is heard can have a major impact on the value of your case. The laws and regulations that govern each jurisdiction vary widely, and it’s important to understand how those differences may affect the outcome of your lawsuit. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the key factors that you should consider when selecting a venue for an injury case.

Plaintiff-Friendly Venues

In some counties, juries have a reputation for returning larger plaintiff injury verdicts than in other counties. This can be due to the jury pool makeup, local sentiment towards negligence and personal responsibility, or even the experience of judges who preside over the cases.

Most insurance companies take this into consideration when evaluating claims from an injured person. It is important to examine trends in verdicts from past cases when deciding where to bring an injury case so that you know what kind of award you may expect if your case goes to trial.

Settlement negotiations in these areas will certainly reference the venue the trial is set to take place in. Additionally, research into potential jurors can be useful in order to ensure that those who are selected are sympathetic toward your case. Understanding all of these factors will help understand how your claim will be evaluated and what kind of settlement offer will be made from the insurance adjusters.

Limits on compensation

One factor to consider when choosing a venue for an injury case is whether or not it has established limits on damages recoverable by plaintiffs. Many jurisdictions have put caps on non-economic damages such as pain and suffering awards, which could significantly reduce the overall value of an award if applied to your particular situation.

It’s important to research these limits before making any final decisions about where to file suit so that you are aware of any potential limitations on what kind of compensation you may be able to receive from a jury verdict or settlement agreement.

Another factor to take into account when deciding where to file an injury suit is whether or not there are legal precedents established in that particular jurisdiction that could benefit your argument.

If there has been recent court decisions with similar facts as yours, then those rulings could provide persuasive authority for judges and juries if they need guidance on interpreting certain aspects of law related to your claim. On the other hand, if there have been unfavorable court decisions with similar facts as yours then you may want to avoid bringing suit in that particular county so as not to risk having any such ruling used against you during trial proceedings.

If you have non-economic or economic damages from an injury incident and are curious how much your personal injury settlement is worth, contact one of the Texas personal injury lawyers at Fletcher Law Office. Our firm will offer you a free consultation and give you an assessment of your damages and potential settlement value.

Minor Injuries Can Cause Major Issues

Suffering a minor injury can be disruptive to everyday life, requiring recovery time and medical treatment. It's possible to recover economic damages associated with this, such as property damage, medical bills and lost wages while taking time off work. It's important to understand that even injuries that require relatively limited treatment could still qualify as a personal injury that you may be entitled to damages for.

An experienced personal injury attorney can help evaluate your case and examine the facts to determine if a civil lawsuit is the best way for an individual to pursue compensation for these damages. Seeking an independent legal opinion may be the best solution for those faced with unexpected medical expenses due to a minor injury.

Many people mistakenly assume that minor injuries are no big deal and will have little to no impact on their daily lives. However, even seemingly minor injuries can cause significant issues in a person's day-to-day life.

For example, a minor back injury sustained in a minor car accident can result in ongoing pain and discomfort that can make it difficult to perform even simple tasks such as lifting or bending. Similarly, a minor head injury can lead to ongoing headaches, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating, which can make it challenging to work or even carry out routine tasks.

In some cases, minor injuries can also lead to more severe health issues over time. For example, a seemingly minor injury to the knee or ankle can result in ongoing joint pain, which can eventually lead to arthritis and other chronic conditions. Similarly, even minor whiplash sustained in a car accident can lead to ongoing neck and back pain, as well as headaches, that can last for months or even years after the initial injury.

How A Family Member or Friend Can Explain Your Damages

A family member or friend can provide powerful testimony to a personal injury case. In your personal injury lawsuit, they can attest to how you have been affected by the injuries, both your pain and suffering and your emotional distress. This testimony can be used to show the extent and effects of the damage, as well as establish how it has impacted the plaintiff’s life. A personal injury lawyer will have experience utilizing this important evidence.

How the injury has changed you

For example, a family member of an injury victim in a auto accident may tell about how even simple tasks now require greater effort for the plaintiff due to their injuries.

Testimony on social changes

A friend might explain how their social interactions have changed since the accident, such as their decreased ability to participate in activities they used to enjoy or attend social events they had been looking forward to before the accident occurred. Witnesses may also speak about changes in mood or personality that have resulted from the victim’s injuries. If the vehicle involved was a family vehicle, they may be able to talk about the property damage when seeking auto accident settlements.

Testimony on your medical treatment

Moreover, family members and friends are often uniquely qualified to testify about what types of treatments have been tried and which ones have not worked for their loved one. After a car accident, for example, they likely have first hand knowledge of the pain and suffering and non economic damages that the accident victims are suffering from.

This information is invaluable when it comes to personal injury law for showing that all reasonable attempts have been made with regard to medical care and treatment of injuries.

Testimony on inability to live life.

A witness may also be able to offer insights on how lifestyle changes have taken place due to a disability resulting from an injury – for instance, if household duties need now be shared between spouses because one person cannot perform them independently anymore after sustaining an injury. These kind of things will be taken into consideration when, for example, evaluating the auto accident settlement for a traumatic brain injury.

An Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer In Texas Can Help

If you have recently been involved in an accident and suffered a personal injury, you may be entitled to compensation for damages. Our law firm has extensive experience representing injured victims in civil court and pre-suit with insurance companies. When considering the value of your personal injury settlement, it's also important to consider how the personal injury settlement will ultimately be paid out. A personal injury lawyer can help explain this.

In addition to compensation for your property damage, Texas law gives you the right to seek compensation for your personal injuries from the at fault party and negligent party. Call our personal injury lawyers today to understand your rights as an accident victim.

This compensation is not just for your physical pain, but also for things like previous lost income, pain and suffering, and economic damages. future lost income, To learn the specifics of your case, including the amount of your claim, contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer in Texas is essential.

Contact Our Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers Today

Personal Injury Lawyer Gage Fletcher
Austin, Texas Personal Injury Lawyer Gage Fletcher

An experienced injury attorney can give you an accurate assessment of how much your accident claim is worth and advise how to proceed with your legal options.

Don't delay; Just Get Gage. Contact a qualified personal injury lawyer today so that they can begin assessing your case and help secure the compensation you deserve. Call us today at 512-619-4006.