Average Rideshare Settlement
Many clients ask what their rideshare case might be worth if it settles. The reality, though, is that it is extremely difficult to provide average settlement values. This is because settlement figures tend to vary significantly depending on the facts of your case. The largest contributors to varying settlement amounts include the severity of your injuries, the value of your non-economic damages, and whether you helped cause your rideshare accident.
Severity of Your Injuries
The general rule is that settlement values will increase as your rideshare accident injuries grow more severe. For example, your case will usually settle for more if you suffered a traumatic brain injury as opposed to cuts and bruises.
The reason for the rule is that medical expenses usually grow as injuries grow in severity. More severe injuries require more intense medical treatment and often ongoing medical care. Settlement values will increase to help compensate you for these costly medical services.
Non-Economic Damages
In general, your settlement figure will increase as the value of your non-economic damages increases.
“Non-economic damages” refer to a type of category of compensation that you can receive in rideshare accident cases. Examples of these damages include payment for:
- Pain and suffering,
- Emotional Distress,
- Loss of enjoyment of life, and
- Loss of consortium.
A difficulty with these types of damages is trying to accurately measure them, or assign a dollar value to them. The process is sometimes tricky because the damages are somewhat intangible. But they can still serve as a significant source of payout once they are properly calculated.
Note that in a car accident claim, you can also receive economic damages as well as non-economic damages. Economic damages are easier to calculate than non-economic damages because they come with a verifiable dollar amount. Examples include:
- Medical expenses,
- Lost wages,
- Lost earning capacity,
- Property damage, and
- Out-of-pocket expenses.
Responsibility for Fault
The settlement value for your rideshare accident claim will likely decrease if you helped caused the accident. Under the comparative negligence laws of most states, you can usually still receive compensation in a car accident claim if you were partly responsible for causing the accident. However, your final payout will get lowered by your percent of liability for causing the accident.
For example, maybe it’s the case that your claim was set to settle for $10,000. But assume now that you helped caused your rideshare accident by 10%. Your final settlement value would be $9,000, or 10% less than the original settlement value.
Contact Premier Injury Law Firm for Help
If you or a loved one was injured in a car or rideshare accident, please know that the Premier Injury Law Firm is here to help. Our legal team is skilled, experienced, and passionate in their representation. Let us shoulder the burden of an injury claim or lawsuit while you focus on healing from your injuries. Contact us today for the quality legal help you deserve.