In my opinion, the value of a case is what a jury will award you for your injuries. The problem is that there is not an exact science. Your claim for past medical bill and past lost wages may be straightforward in that you are seeking exact sums of money to compensate you for your loss. However, there are the non-economic claims, what is generally known as “pain and suffering” which is much more difficult to put finite numbers on. A defendant can always challenge your past medical bills and past lost wages (they could say they are not related, etc.). With pain and suffering, no matter what you ask for, a defendant can always suggest that you should get less or nothing. Part of the reason for hiring a lawyer is for their expertise in valuing an injury case. There are many tools a lawyer can use: his or her own experiences, past jury verdicts of similar cases, etc. In sum, this is not as straightforward as you would think. Plus, see further posts on the available insurance and how that impacts the value.
