Bernard Tully Personal Injury Lawyer. Phone: 412-281-8700
One of the most frequent questions I am asked by clients is, “How much $ am I going to get from my injury?” For example, you might have been rear-ended by an at-fault driver which resulted in you undergoing a lot of treatment, or even having surgery. You are now wondering how much $ you will receive from the insurance company for your injuries. What is your personal injury case value?
No one can say with certainty how much $ you’re going to get. However, here are some general guidelines. Juries give more $ to someone they like and feel empathy towards as opposed to someone who is a sourpuss that the jury doesn’t particularly care for. A jury will usually award more $ to someone they like rather than someone they dislike, even if the injuries are the same!
For instance, let’s say two people are injured in an accident and have to have knee surgery. Person number one is a smiling, likable person and person number two doesn’t smile and is evasive with their answers. You’re going to see a difference between a $10,000 award to the unsmiling person, and maybe $100,000 for the likable person.
Therefore, one of the best things you can do is smile in front of the jury! You also want to be likable, show you’re human, and don’t exaggerate your injuries. Jurors can see through embellishment in a heartbeat! Some people have even testified that because of their accident-related injury, they’ll never walk again and never be the same, even though it’s a soft tissue injury. Nobody will believe that and the jury will most likely give you very little $ for your claim.
However, someone who has the mentality of the Pittsburgh Steelers where they just grind it out and don’t make excuses will do much better with the jury. Answering questions directly is one of the biggest factors to the question, “How much $ is my case worth?” Your chances of a good outcome will be better if you’re a likable person during your trial.
A word to the wise. We have other tips we give to people about how they can come across as real, believable, and likable. This will increase the chances of getting a substantial award.
Our main focus is honesty. We always preach it. We are passionate about trying to help anyone with their case. Questions about the blog? CALL US!
Bernard Tully Pittsburgh Personal Injury Case Value Lawyer. 412-281-8700 and 1-800-518-0050