How Does Compensation for Future Losses From an Injury Work?

How to Calculate Lawsuit Compensation for Future Losses

With over 400,000 personal injury claims filed each year, this type of lawsuit is incredibly common. However, many people still aren’t fully aware of how they work. If you have never heard of future losses, it can be helpful to learn a little about them and see if they are relevant to your case.

What Are Future Damages?

In a personal injury lawsuit, damages are any harm to you that deserves compensation. For example, if someone hit your car and you ended up paying $20,000 in medical bills, your damages would be $20,000. Things get a little trickier when the original car accident or other issue has ongoing effects.

It is fairly common for a plaintiff to start a lawsuit before they have resolved all their injuries from the issue. Since you have to file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations runs out, you might end up suing while knowing you still have years of recovery ahead of you. For example, if you slipped and fell in a store and still have ongoing back pain, there’s a chance you might not be able to work for years to come.

In these situations, you are still entitled to compensation. Though the actual damage has not happened yet, it will still be linked back to the original problem you are suing for. Since your present injuries will continue to cause issues in the future, this type of compensation is called future damages.

Calculating Future Damages Can Be Difficult

To figure out how much future damages you deserve, you have to carefully consider how your injuries affect your life now and how they are likely to affect your life in the future. If you have never been in a personal injury case before, some types of future damages might not even occur to you. This is why it’s helpful to speak to an Allentown personal injury lawyer and get input on your case. Here are some potential things you might want to take into account when calculating future damages.

• Whether your injury will make it hard to work in your chosen career
• How much pain and suffering your injury is likely to cause
• Whether you will be able to retain a romantic relationship with your partner due to your injury
• Whether your injury has interrupted your education or career progression
• How many medications you will need to take to manage your injury
• Whether any surgeries or other major medical treatments are in your future
• Whether your injury puts you at risk for other issues, like arthritis or bed sores

Expert Testimony Is an Essential Part of Calculations

In any lawsuit, you must have an explanation for why you deserve the amount of money you are asking for. Future damages can make this part of a lawsuit difficult. Since the damage has not occurred yet, you cannot just pull out all your receipts, add them up, and show the total to the judge.

Instead, you will need to be able to use logic and facts to prove your case. Most plaintiffs and their attorneys in cases that involve future damages will bring in some experts to testify. For example, an economist could help to calculate how much money you stand to lose out on if you are no longer able to participate in your chosen career. Meanwhile, doctors and therapists can help provide an outlook on how long it will take you to recover and whether you are likely to have ongoing issues.

As you can see, a lot of work goes into calculating the damages you deserve for future losses. Help from an Allentown personal injury can ensure you are not leaving potential money on the table. By having a fair idea of how much compensation you are owed, you can negotiate for a higher settlement or court-ordered payment. If you suspect that you are owed money for personal damages, talk to Metzger & Kleiner of Lehigh Valley today. You can schedule an appointment with an Allentown personal injury lawyer by filling out our contact form or calling 610-435-7400.