(Akiit.com) If you have been in an accident or you have otherwise sustained a serious injury, then one of the things you’ll need to figure out is if someone other than yourself is liable. If a faulty product hurt you, for instance, you might be due some damages. If you hurt yourself through no fault of your own in a place like a grocery store, a movie theater, or some other public locale, then you might also have just cause to demand compensation, and you’re going to want to make your personal injury claim without delay. You can ask a qualified legal professional if you have a case, but you’ll also want to know a little about how bodily injury compensation is calculated.
How Much Will You Accept?
The first question to answer is how much money you would agree to accept as compensation. That number is up to you, but if you 
demand some outrageous amount from the responsible party, it’s not likely that they’re going to pay it.
The Multiplier
In most cases, you’re going to be reliant on one of the formulas used by personal injury lawyers. Most formulas employ a multiplier. This multiplier for general damages, also referred to as pain and suffering, depends on how severe and long-lasting your injuries are. The more severe, the higher the multiplier is going to be.
Lost Income and Medical Expenses
Also factored into the equation will be potential lost income and medical expenses. If you’re going to miss time from work due to the injury, this number will be dependent on how much money you normally make. As for the medical expenses, that’s going to consist of an estimate of what any current and future treatments for the injury are going to cost.
Property Damage
This will most often come into play if the injury was sustained during a vehicular collision. If you had to pay for the property damage, but someone else caused what took place, then this will serve as compensation for that.
Economic and Non-Economic Damages
This further amount might come into the equation too. Economic damages in this situation refer to any additional financial loss you suffered as a result of the injury that does not fit into any of the other categories. Non-economic losses cover your emotional distress. For instance, maybe in addition to the physical damage, you were so traumatized by the event that you’re having nightmares about it, or you’re not yet ready to return to work because you keep reliving what happened. You might demand additional funds to compensate for that.
If you secure legal representation for an accident that caused an injury, just about every law firm has a slightly different way of calculating the monetary amount that you should seek. Most of the elements are going to be similar, though, so once you understand each of them, you should have a general idea of how the figure was reached. Whether the responsible party is going to be willing to pay the original number or whether they are going to try and make some counteroffer is impossible to say. It may be necessary to take them to court if they are refusing to accept any liability for what took place.
Staff Writer; Lou Jackson