What Is My Mid-Missouri Injury Claim Worth?

Duckworth Injury Law Is Sharing Our Knowledge Regarding the Value of a Variety of Personal Injury Claims in Mid-MO

At Duckworth Injury Law, we handle personal injury cases across mid-Missouri, including the communities of Columbia, Moberly, Mexico, Fulton, Ashland, Sedalia, Jefferson City, and the Lake of the Ozarks, among many others. When meeting with accident victims across the area, perhaps the most frequent question we receive when meeting with a potential client during a personal injury claim consultation is: “What is my injury claim worth?” And it’s a great question! After all, money is often the only remedy we can pursue on behalf of a personal injury or wrongful death claimant. 



However, the answer to that question is often complex, depending on a number of different factors. While we can likely provide you with a broad range regarding the valuation of your mid-Missouri injury claim at the initial consultation, your specific recovery will depend on many factors, including: the extent and severity of your injuries, past and future medical treatment, past and future lost wages, past and future pain and suffering, where your accident occurred, what assets are held by the defendant, and how much insurance coverage is available (among other factors).

The Value of a Personal Injury Claim Will Depend on Many Factors. Understand How an Injury Claim Is Valued With Duckworth Injury Law

While some of these factors will be known in the days following an accident, many others will take weeks to months to develop and/or be discovered. As such, the more information that is gathered regarding your claim, the more accurate an evaluation we can provide you regarding the value of your injury claim. 

Once the value of your injury claim is established (typically done by adding together all compensable damages you are legally entitled to – medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, etc.), we must then evaluate whether any other factors should affect that valuation. For example, if you are partially at fault for causing the accident, your claim value may be reduced by the percentage of fault that you share (this is called pure comparative fault in Missouri). Or, if the at-fault party’s actions were particularly egregious – such as if the at-fault party was intoxicated at the time of the crash – your claim value may be enhanced and/or you may be eligible for punitive damages. 

Personal injury compensation in mid-Missouri will depend on how much can be recovered from the at-fault party’s insurance coverage limits

Finally, we must compare the value of your claim to the amount of money that is available for recovery. In a best-case scenario, your total claim value will be equal to or less than the liability insurance coverage limits of the at-fault party. In those situations, we will be able to recover the full extent of your damages from the at-fault party’s insurance carrier. In cases where the value of your claim exceeds the liability insurance coverage of the at-fault party, other steps must also be taken. This typically includes investigating assets held by the at-fault party that could be recovered via judgment, looking into any underinsured motorist coverage under your own auto insurance policy, and possibly filing a Tort Victims Compensation Fund application with the State of Missouri. 



In short, a mid-Missouri claim valuation relies on numerous different factors, many of which must be evaluated by an experienced injury attorney to be properly assessed. If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, please contact Duckworth Injury Law today for a free, no-obligation, case evaluation, where the value of your claim can be discussed in greater detail.