How Much Is a WV Accident Injury Claim Worth

CONTACT US FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

Shaffer & Maximizing Payment for Personal Injury with Charleston Lawyers

When accidents happen in West Virginia, their consequences go far beyond the immediate shock of a car crash, a workplace disaster, or a fall on hazardous property.

The damage to your health can range from mild to life-altering. You may recover fully, or you may face life-long limitations.
Your medical expenses could be manageable or insurmountable.
An accident can derail your work life. You may suffer lost wages. Your injuries may prevent you from returning. In serious cases, you may never be able to work again.

Then there is the psychological toll: the “suffering” in pain and suffering. You may have post-traumatic stress. Your ability to enjoy life every day may be diminished.

So how much is your West Virginia injury case worth? How much could you get in an accident claim?

Putting a price tag on suffering is not a simple math problem. It takes serious detective work. It must be tailored to you and your personal situation.

To maximize your compensation and put you in the best position to recover, work with a personal injury attorney.

Shaffer & You is the right team to bring stability back to your life.

Our personal injury lawyers in Charleston and Madison have helped thousands of people, taken hundreds of cases to trial, and secured multi-million-dollar settlements.

We can’t tell you on this web page what your individual personal injury compensation may be, but if you keep reading below, we’ll explain the factors and go into calculating it.

And if you work with us on your injury case, Shaffer & Shaffer will do whatever it takes to make you whole. It’s a reputation we have built over more than a century of helping West Virginians.

Since 1909, Clients, Community, Commitment.

Understanding Economic Damages in a Personal Injury Case

Personal injury cases are complicated, and they can be lengthy undertakings that require patience, perseverance, and a strong team to get you everything you deserve.

When assessing a personal injury claim, several factors that come into play. Award amounts range widely. In general, your compensation fits into two categories: economic and non-economic damages.

Examples of economic damages:

Medical Expenses: This is the greatest immediate cost after an injury. The price varies. Did you visit the emergency room? Were you hospitalized? For how long? Do you take medications now? Do you have long-term rehabilitation or therapy to undergo?

To receive compensation for medical expenses in West Virginia, you must prove the costs are both reasonable and necessary to recover from your injury.

Lost Wages: This is compensation for your time away from work caused by your injury. To calculate, you take your daily or weekly wage and multiply it by the time you couldn’t do your job.

Impact on Employment: Your injuries may keep you from returning to the same job, or in the worst cases, prevent you from working again. If the accident reduces or cuts off your future earning potential, you can seek economic compensation through a personal injury case. An experienced personal injury attorney knows how to demand payment for diminished wages or lost working years.

Property damage: Your car getting damaged or totaled is also an economic loss. The same goes for loss of equipment in a work accident.

West Virginia has no statute limiting the economic damages you can seek. Victims can pursue full compensation for the price in dollars that they’ve paid or missed out on due to someone else’s negligence.

A conversation with Shaffer & Shaffer costs you nothing. You don’t pay anything until we win your case.

Get your free case evaluation.

How Do You Figure Out the Non-Economic Damages of Your Personal Injury Case?

Non-economic damages are more complicated because they don’t come with concrete numbers for medical costs, property damage or amount of missed wages.

This is about the intangible toll an accident can wreak on your life. This commonly includes “pain and suffering” as well as damages meant to punish the at-fault party.

Pain and Suffering: This is a combination of physical and mental distress as well as the blow to your everyday life that you endured as a result of your injury. There is no limit on damages you can seek for pain and suffering.

Punitive Damages: This punishes the at-fault party for their role in your accident. West Virginia generally caps punitive damages at $500,000. This kind of payment only happens in rare cases.

Making your case for the most compensation possible for the circumstances you face takes experience and hard work. You don’t have to do it alone. For more than a century, Shaffer & Shaffer Charleston injury lawyers have worked with West Virginians to put together the right financial packages to rebuild their lives.

We don’t treat your case as just another file. We get to know you and your situation. We stay with you every step of the way. We will take your case to court if we have to—and we have won millions in compensation for our clients.

Your well-being drives our work. Give us a call and let’s get you moving forward.

Shaffer & You: Why Work with Us?

Everyday West Virginians can get legal help from one of the most established and respected law firms in the state: Shaffer & Shaffer. Our firm is over a century old and still going strong because we put the needs of our clients first—always.

West Virginia lawyers Ryan Walters and Chip Shaffer from Shaffer & Shaffer at a conference table in front of a laptop, law books behind them. We provide answers to your personal injury questions.

Have a Question about Personal Injury Claims?

After a life-altering accident, you’re understandably upset, confused and full of questions. To help you get a sense of what’s next, we’ve prepared answers to common questions about personal injury claims and other legal cases.

Injury FAQs »