Putting a Price on Damages

06 Mar Putting a Price on Damages

For people who are the victims of physician negligence, one of the hardest things to do is to determine how much money to seek in a medical malpractice claim. Helping clients arrive at a realistic figure is not an insignificant part of what attorneys do. Attorneys, in fact, have to do a lot of work to come up at a realistic number so that they can increase their client's chances of winning. If you're interested in filing a medical malpractice suit, considering the following information can help you determine how much to seek in damages. Along with your attorney's assistance, this information can give you an idea of what might be appropriate.

1: Proximate Cause

First and foremost, you have to establish that your doctor's treatments were actually the cause of your condition. There's always a chance that any suffering you endured was the result of the condition itself and not the doctor's treatments. There is also a chance that any doctor, no matter how good they are, will not be able to find a treatment that will treat your condition successfully. This is just a fact of life that's unavoidable sometimes. Your attorney will help you determine whether or not the treatment you received was likely the cause of your pain and suffering and other damages.

2: Concrete Number

In order to sue somebody for damages, you have to know how much you're seeking. This has to be a concrete figure. If you can't put a price tag on how much you suffered, then you can't sue. Your attorney will help you to determine how much things such as pain and suffering and mental anguish are worth in dollar terms. Your other expenses are a bit easier to calculate. How much work had to miss, how many follow-up treatments were required because of the negligence, how much is your earning ability impacted in the future and so forth all play into the amount you seek.

If you're not sure exactly where to start with a lawsuit, the best place to go is to an attorney's office. Most medical malpractice attorneys will be willing to sit down with you for free and to discuss whether or not they can help you with your case. If they believe that they're the right person for the job, they'll start helping you to put together a lawsuit that they believe will win you the compensation you deserve from a jury or a settlement.