Personal Injury Calculator – Do They Work?

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Personal Injury Calculator Do They Work?
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• Personal injury calculators are a complete
  waste of time.
• My advice? Dont even bother with them. They
  are nothing more than a marketing ploy to get you
  into the lawyers office.

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• Case in point I used to correspond with a
  lawyer in the USA who actually blogs about
  personal injury calculators and even he said they
  were no good!
• Ill explain why they dont work

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Every Case is Different

• Ive never had two cases that are identical.
  If youre shaking your head thinking I dont
  believe that, I hear you, but youve got to
  consider that every person is different.

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• You and I could both have the exact same
  accident, but where you might walk away with a
  few cuts and bruises, I might walk away with a
  chronic pain injury that impacts my life over the
  long-term.

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• Perhaps my head was at a slightly different
  angle on impact or I suffered a previous injury
  thats now been aggravated. Perhaps my tolerance
  for pain is simply lower, or Im not as healthy.

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• A personal injury calculator cant even begin
  to take into account the differences in our
  bodies or even the psychological impact of an
  accident. Yet these are the issues that are taken
  into account when an insurance company, judge or
  jury determines what your general damages are
  worth that address pain and suffering.

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Factor in the Unknown

• There are factors that can impact compensation
  that you cant know ahead of time.
• For example, what if youre caught in a white
  lie?
• Insurance companies are notorious for their
  surveillance tactics.

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• The videos may show that you cant do your job
  as stated, but if they also show you dancing at
  your brothers wedding, it will cast a pale light
  on your credibility and that could impact the
  amount of compensation on offer.

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• Another issue is that cases change over time.
  Somebody might walk into my office injured, but
  they can work. Six months later the pain gets to
  the point where they have to stop working and
  theyre off for years.

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• Head injuries often unfold like this they
  take time to reveal their full extent so what we
  think will happen in months 1-6 is very different
  than what happens in months 18-24.

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Nuances Matter

• Calculators also fail to consider the
  subtleties of a case like how well do you come
  across as a witness? How supportive is you family
  doctor? What kind of work history did you have?
  All these things will be considered by the
  defense.

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• People rarely come into my office with an
  amount suggested by a calculator (thankfully). If
  a potential client asks me what is my case
  worth? my answer is I have no idea.

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• I might have an idea in my head as I mentally
  build a case, but I keep that to myself because I
  understand that I need to get into the case
  before I can be sure. I have a responsibility to
  manage my clients expectation. My clients come
  to me because theyre in pain. Theyve likely
  already been disappointed and I want to help them
  heal, not disappoint them further.

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• Finally, its important to understand that
  the amount of compensation a client receives is
  based on a long-term negotiation that relies, in
  part, on the clients engagement.
• With so many subtle details factoring into a
  compensation negotiation, its impossible for a
  compensation calculator to be accurate.

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• My advice is that, if youve had an accident,
  dont base any decisions on an online
  compensation calculator. Go see a lawyer and get
  the real lay of the land.
• If you have any questions or comments, please
  feel free to leave me a comment below. If youre
  seeking legal advice, please contact me here and
  well get in touch with you.

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• http//derekwilsonlaw.ca