Valuing an Auto Accident

Auto accidents are one of the most common causes of injury and death in the U.S. Despite significant safety improvements in cars today, accidents still commonly occur and can result in serious injuries.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an auto accident, it is critical that you seek the guidance of our skilled legal team to assist you. Procedural and filing requirements need to be handled right away, as well as gathering evidence, obtaining police reports and interviewing witnesses.

When valuing a case, there are many factors to consider, which will be unique to each case. They can range from the severity of the physical injuries, whether passengers injured, the amount of the medical bills, the amount of insurance coverage and lost wages.

Consulting with the right law firm can be crucial to your case. Our firm has built a reputation of quality representation. We have achieved favorable results for hundreds of cases. The settlements and verdicts we have won from the past 200 cases were each over $1 million dollars ($1,000,000). Our total sum of verdicts and settlements to date total over half a billion dollars ($500,000,000).

Factors to consider when valuing an auto accident can include:

Medical Bills: If you have been injured you could have high medical costs, depending on the severity of your injuries. You could be unable to work, and at the same time the medical bills just keep increasing. A court award could include reimbursement for your current medical costs and can also award you for future medical expenses. If you have had a steel plate put into your leg for a bad break for instance, that plate will need to be removed in the future. You could also require other corrective surgeries and physical therapy.

Pain and Suffering: In the state of New York, you are allowed to collect for pain and suffering. This is a difficult thing to quantify, as everyone's experience is unique and subjective. The court will look at your medical records and injuries to determine this, but also will consider a loss of the quality of life. If a person has a crush injury of their pelvis or legs, it can cause difficulty in terms of walking or running in the future. This type of permanent impairment is a loss in the quality of life.

Economic Damages: These types of damages take into account the inability to work. This addresses your current loss of earnings, and can also include loss of income in the future. Any adjustments for inflation and costs of living increases will also be added. If you have experienced a debilitating injury, economic damages can run into the millions of dollars.

Insurance: Insurance coverage is an extremely important component to any injury case. Every insurance company has different policies and procedures that must be addressed. Policy limits are a crucial component to any potential recovery. If the policy limit is $500,000 for example, a plaintiff will be difficult an award higher than this amount. That said, there are often other avenues that can be pursued, such as an umbrella policy.

While every case is different, recent personal injury cases have yielding the following results:

Nassau County, NY-$1,200,000 Verdict
Wrongful death due to motor vehicle negligence.

New York County, NY-$5,000,000 Verdict
Plaintiff struck by negligent driver.

Suffolk County, NY-$2,100,000 Verdict
Motor vehicle negligently strikes bicyclist approaching intersection.

The legal team at Stephen Bilkis and Associates understands that being injured in an accident is an emotional, stressful experience. We understand that there is a list of things that need to be attended to promptly. As time passes, a witness's memory can fade, and accident reports and photographs are lost. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can set to work on creating a strategy for you to move forward with your life and get the compensation you deserve.

Contact us today for a free consultation at 800.696.9529. We have office locations in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.