How much is my case worth?

Lately I have been seeing this question a lot. I subscribe to a number of sites that allow the general public to ask legal questions. It seems that a lot of people have been getting hurt and the first question they have is "how much is my injury worth?" Personal injuries are very personal and very specific. An injury effects everyone differently. For example, I sit at my desk everyday so a broken leg doesn't stop me from doing my job but it does prevent me from doing what I love most and that is long distance running. A construction worker however may not do anything physical at home but will lose his income if he has a broken leg. Same injury but 2 different results with 2 different values. My broken leg must contain a value that reflects the mental suffering that I will have as I get depressed because I can't run. The construction worker's case must contain a mental value as he will stress over lost income, AND a lost income figure. Add to this the medical bills that must be paid, health insurance that must be repaid and future medical costs for rehabilitation.

When people want to know what their case is worth i can't help but wonder if they just want a quick answer so that they can go to the insurance company and make a quick deal. This is a mistake. Insurance companies are not in the business of writing checks. They are in the business of receiving them! If they can give you less they will. That's just good business on their part. They won't pay you what a case is truly worth unless they have to and if they know you are inexperienced they will try and get one over on you and offer less. If someone can put a dollar value on an injury without looking at all of the components then they are probably leaving some money on the table.