It’s not uncommon for a client to want to know the average settlement of a coal mining injury case. These injuries are usually life-changing and monetary stability becomes a huge issue. It’s not easy to give you a dollar amount, but I can tell you the many specific elements that go into estimating a settlement. You need an experienced lawyer, like us at The Segal Law Firm, who know what those elements are and how to go about making sure you and your family are protected.
A lawyer who has any good amount of experience dealing with coal mine injuries and coal mine death cases can tell you what the elements of damage are and who the expert are that are needed to prove them. For instance, if you have had a crushing injury, you’re most likely going to need an orthopedic or neurological expert. You’ll also need a life-care planner who can tell the judge and jury what types of devices you’re going to need throughout your life.
Most people, when they see someone in a wheelchair, think that they’ll need just that one device. Not true. If you’re a hunter, you need assisted living devices that will allow you to go into the woods, even though you may not be able to walk anymore. You need different types of wheelchairs for different activities. The life-care planners we use here at The Segal Law Firm know how to devise and create a plan of medical and material needs that you will need in the future.
You also need economists, which are the people who compute the number of dollars all of this costs. Generally speaking, you can think about this way: how old were you when you got hurt and how much more money would you have earned over your lifetime? Well, you’re entitled to all of that.
You also would have had benefits; medical insurance, maybe dental insurance, and a retirement plan. You’ve lost all of that, so you’re entitled to get that back. How often are you going to have to go see a doctor who’s a specialist? Is it once a year to make sure that your spine injury is stable? Will you have to go to the neurologist every six months? Someone’s got to pay for all that.
Then there are the intangible things that have to be considered; how has this affected your life? Can you no longer hunt? Can you no longer play with your grandchildren? Is your ability to go camping or go fishing out the window? All of those things are going to be a part of what has to be considered in terms of a financial settlement for you and your family.
The last thing I like to remind people is that the client should always understand it’s up to them if they want to settle. It’s not up to us. All we do is make the coal company off as much money as we can make them offer. If the client says that’s not enough, we go to trial. That’s what we’re about at The Segal Law Firm. And I’m happy to help them with that decision and give them the information they need. All they need to do is pick up the phone and ask us the tough questions to find out what kind of experience we have in a case just like theirs. We’re waiting for the call at 855-344-9100.