After sustaining injuries in a car accident, the most important thing should be your health and wellbeing. Once the dust settles, however, many accident victims rightfully want to know how much compensation they can receive to cover their damages. Unfortunately, calculating your car accident settlement is rarely a simple process. While straightforward cases may be easy to settle, more complicated accidents and injuries can take years to litigate successfully. No two accidents are the same; countless factors can influence the amount of compensation accident victims and their families receive.
To help get you started, you’ll find several key factors considered when calculating accident settlements. Additionally, you’ll find more information about how James H. Brown and Associates’ award-winning team fights for accident victims and their families, ensuring they receive complete, fair compensation for their injuries.
Case Complexity
It’s probably not surprising that simple cases generally take less time to resolve than multi-vehicle accidents or other complex scenarios. When the facts about your accident are clear, well-documented, and accessible, it’s easier for lawyers to calculate a fair settlement and process your claim.
After an accident, it’s vital to get as much information as possible at the scene. Taking your own pictures, filing and getting a copy of the police report, and continually documenting your damages and expenses can help your legal team strengthen your case and maximize your settlement.
The Severity of Your Injuries
The more severe accident-related injuries are, the more complicated it is to calculate a settlement amount. While simple, easily treatable injuries have equally simple damages, long-term consequences like chronic pain and permanent disability can further complicate the settlement process. To make matters even more complex, insurance companies will likely want to conduct thorough investigations into your injuries to protect their own interests (and avoid paying out any more than they absolutely have to).
Always seek a thorough diagnosis of your injuries as soon as possible after a car accident. This means seeing a doctor right away, getting all applicable tests, and updating your healthcare providers with any changes you experience over time. Give them as much detail as possible; the more information available about your injuries, the easier it will be to maximize the compensation you receive for them.
Minor Injury Regulation in Alberta
Injury law is highly complex in Alberta. Whether it’s our unique insurance regulations, the Minor Injury Regulations and the Diagnostic Treatment Protocols (better known as “the Cap”), complex Loss of Consortium laws, or the recent changes enacted by Bill 41, navigating Alberta’s justice can be challenging at the best of times, let alone when you’re injured!
As an example, some injuries sustained in car accidents fall under the Minor Injury Regulations and the Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols, better known as the “Cap”. These regulations limit “pain and suffering” damages to a maximum amount. However, it does not apply to all injuries, or all situations. Even these rules are subject to change; as recently as 2020, the Alberta government passed Bill 41, making significant changes to the definition of a “minor injury.”
This is just one example of how complicated Alberta injury law can be. After you or a loved one have been injured, you need legal advice tailored specifically to our province, not to mention a legal team familiar with the ins and outs of Alberta law.
Car Accident Settlements with James H. Brown and Associates
When pursuing a settlement after a serious injury, only one thing matters: recovering compensation for accident victims and their long-term needs.
Since 1993, James H. Brown and Associates has helped countless clients secure complete, fair accident injury settlements, including some of the largest accident settlements in Alberta history and precedent-setting cases that still set standards in courts today. Our team remains dedicated to fighting for justice for our clients across Alberta, continually raising the bar for injury settlements.
As one of Alberta’s largest and most successful injury law firms, James H. Brown and Associates proudly provides complete resources to support accident victims and their cases, including:
- An experienced team of injury lawyers with over 250 years of combined injury law experience.
- Complete accident investigation services, including accident reconstruction, evidence preservation, analysis, and more.
- Access to medical and vocational professionals to fully diagnose your injuries, understand long-term consequences, and provide supporting documentation for your case.
- Strong relationships with community organizations dedicated to rehabilitation and recovery.
Have You or a Loved One Been Injured in a Car Accident?
Contact us today to book a free, no-obligation claim evaluation with James H. Brown and Associates’ injury lawyers.
