Calculating Claim Value

How Is The Value Of A Claim Calculated?

If you’ve suffered a serious personal injury or illness and are thinking about making a compensation claim, one of the first questions you might have is: ‘how much will my claim be worth?’

There is no definitive answer as every claim is different. The same types of injury or illness can affect people in different ways.

Claims are calculated on a case by case basis and the amounts can vary significantly depending on the individual circumstances of your claim. Factors such as the severity of your injury or illness, the impact on your day-to-day life and your specific needs will be taken into consideration.

There are two parts to a compensation claim:

General Damages
General damages compensate you for your injury or illness, your pain and suffering and how your lifestyle has been affected.

Special Damages
Special damages aim to put you back in the financial position you were if you’d never sustained your serious injury or never developed your illness. They compensate you for any ‘out of pocket’ expenses and loss of earnings you’ve incurred, including any possible future losses and your care needs in the future.

Special damages can include:

• Loss Of Earnings – this covers not only any lost earnings you have already incurred because you’re unable to return to work but if you’ve had to reduce your hours or someone close to you has had to take time off to help with your care. Future loss of earnings and your earning potential (such as missing out on promotions) is also included.
• Medical Treatment, Rehabilitation and Care Costs – this covers any medical treatment, nursing care or specialist rehabilitation costs (e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, counselling or speech and language therapy) that have already been incurred and also includes your future needs.
• Travel Expenses – this includes any extra expenses you or your family have to pay, such as bus, train or taxi fares to attend hospital appointments, rehabilitation sessions or to visit any other treatment providers.
• House Or Car Adaptations – this includes the cost of making necessary changes to your home such as installing a stairlift, widening doors for wheelchair access or any customised adaptations to your car (e.g. hand controls or steering wheel aids). This also includes any additional running costs in your home, such as higher energy bills or extra maintenance costs and can also cover the cost of a new home, if required.
• Specialist Equipment – this covers any technical items or equipment such as a wheelchair or walking aids, artificial limbs or pressure relieving mattresses and cushions that you now may need. The cost of any future replacements and upgrades is also covered.

There is no such thing as an average compensation claim. At Novum Law, we specialise in complex, high value, serious personal injury and medical negligence claims. Our expertise lies in not just securing the maximum compensation available for your injury or illness but understanding all of you and your family’s needs from medical treatment and rehabilitation to specialist care and support.

We can help you make a No Win No Fee claim with no financial risk to you. Novum Law’s specialist solicitors have a strong track record securing early, interim payments to pay for any immediate needs you have during the compensation process before your claim has settled.

To find out more about making a claim or how your compensation may be calculated, Freephone 0345 357 9645 or contact us online to request a callback.