Before reaching a settlement agreement for a fractured foot, plaintiffs usually want to know the average settlement for such an injury. This question is difficult to answer, as settlements can vary greatly.
The average settlement for fractured feet is hard to narrow down. A settlement is usually tailored to a specific case and injury and is determined through intense negotiations. In short, your settlement might not align with the average, depending on your circumstances. Various details may impact how settlement talks turn out, including how your fractured foot affects your ability to work, the extent of the injury, and the way the injury was inflicted. Whether or not your settlement is “good” is also subjective. Even so, a good settlement should cover your monetary costs and take your pain and suffering into consideration, among other factors.
Call our Maryland personal injury attorneys at (410) 694-7291, and our team at Rice, Murtha & Psoras can set up a free, private case evaluation to get you started.
Average Settlements in Maryland Injury Cass for a Fractured Foot
It is hard to describe the average settlement or a fractured foot in Maryland for a couple of different reasons. First, many settlements for all kinds of cases are kept private. Parties often do not want the terms of the settlement to be made public, often to avoid embarrassment or public backlash. Second, settlements are based on unique factors and circumstances. The settlement in one foot injury case might differ wildly from the settlement in another.
As with any injury case, a settlement for a fractured foot depends on how bad the injury is and how it affects your life. While even mild to moderate foot injuries deserve compensation, they might not net as much of a settlement as a fractured foot that requires extensive medical care and has lasting complications.
Talk to our Baltimore personal injury attorneys about your injury to figure out what kind of settlement your case might warrant. Remember, settlements are not set in stone or follow some legally prescribed formula. They are worked out privately between the parties, and the outcome of settlement negotiations often depends on the people involved.
Details of Your Case That Might Influence Your Settlement for a Fractured Foot in Maryland
As mentioned earlier, every settlement is unique and based on factors and details specific to each plaintiff’s claims. A foot injury in one case might be worth a moderate settlement, while another plaintiff with a fractured foot might get a much larger settlement. Below are some important factors that might heavily influence how your settlement negotiations turn out.
Your Ability to Work
People often fixate on the injury itself and medical treatment when discussing damages related to physical injury. Other losses that surround the injury are sometimes overlooked or completely forgotten. For example, people sometimes forget to consider lost income or wages. If you have a fractured foot, your ability to work might be severely hindered, and you might lose valuable income you need to support yourself while you recover.
Exactly how much income you lose, or whether you lose any income at all, depends on the extent of your foot injury and the nature of your job. For those who perform more physically demanding jobs that have them on their feet all day, a fractured foot could put them completely out of commission. For example, someone who works as a server in a restaurant needs to be able to walk to do their job. If their foot is fractured, they simply cannot work. Someone at a desk job in an office might still be able to work with a fractured foot, and their damages might be less substantial.
The Extent of the Injury
We must also evaluate the extent of your injury. A more severe fractured foot might cause more pain, require greater treatment, and have long-term complications. A simpler fracture might require only a few doctor visits before fully healing.
As you can imagine, a more serious fractured foot injury should net you a much higher settlement. Not only are you likely to have more significant economic losses in the form of steep medical bills, but you are also likely to endure much more pain.
Pain and suffering might not be labeled with an exact price, but they deserve financial compensation. A fractured foot can be extremely painful physically and emotionally. You might be in great physical pain from the injury, but you might also deal with mental anguish from living with limited mobility or losing your job.
How the Injury Occurred
The nature of your injury and how it happened might also affect a potential settlement. Often, defendants who deliberately caused injuries or were so negligent and reckless as to shock the conscience end up paying larger settlements. First, these defendants risk paying large punitive damages awards if they allow the case to go to trial. Second, even if punitive damages are unavailable, a jury might be more inclined to reach a verdict in favor of the plaintiff if they know the defendant behaved so abhorrently.
How Do I Know if I am Getting a Good Settlement for My Fractured Foot in Maryland?
The size of the settlement is not always the most important thing. The real question is, is the settlement good? A good settlement should cover your costs and financial losses and account for various non-economic injuries. For those with small damages, a small settlement can still be good if it meets these criteria.
Another important question to ask yourself when deciding whether a settlement offer is good is, do you feel as if justice was delivered? Even if you get all the compensation you could possibly need, you might be left with a hollow feeling, like something is missing. What is missing might be a sense that justice has been served. If you feel the defendant has gotten off easy, even with a hefty settlement, the settlement might need to be larger, or you might want to consider going to trial.
Call Our Maryland Personal Injury Lawyers About your Fractured Foot
Call our Towson personal injury lawyers at (410) 694-7291 and our staff at Rice, Murtha & Psoras can set up a free, confidential case assessment to get you started.