Is My Workers Comp Case Worth It?
Today's topic, I'm gonna answer a question. they had a client I recently spoke with, asked me on the assumption that other people have the same question. "How much money will I get from my workers comp case?"
I actually talked to two guys and one guy had sort of a smaller injury, another guy had quite a big injury. They both had to question, "what are we looking at?", "is it enough money for it even to be worthwhile?". The general rule is, if it's a small injury a temporary injury, it's going to be on the smaller end, if it is a big major injury it's going to be a bigger case.
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A Contingency Fee
But here's the thing, if you have a lawyer who works on a contingency fee, which injury and workers comp lawyers do contingency fee, means we only get paid if we win. If you have a lawyer who's willing to work on the case for you, that means, at least in Illinois, for workers comp, 20 percent of whatever they win for you is enough for them to make the effort to do it. In a car crash or fall down or other kind of injury case, the fee is a third or 40 percent depending on whether a lawsuit is filed. Even if it's a small case, if a lawyer agrees to take it, it means he or she thinks the case has merit, can be won and it's worth it for them taking a little percentage of the case.
The other thing is, the lawyer does all the work. You have the most frustrating job of waiting, but the lawyer is the one who is supposed to do all the legwork. Whether you have a big case or small case, it's probably worthwhile to talk to a lawyer. And if they take your case, it means that at some point, you're going to be in the money. In a worker's comp case, the value of your case is largely determined on how big the injury is and how permanent it is and how much you make per week.
Depends On Your Hourly Rate Or How Serious The Injury Is
It's literally true that if two guys break their leg, same injury, same outcome, the guy who makes 20 bucks an hour is going to get double for his injury case or in that neighborhood as the guy who makes 10 bucks an hour. That's just the way comp is set up. In other kinds of injury cases like car crashes, it's completely dependent on how serious the injury is. How much time you had off from work, what are your medical bills, and how serious are your permanent injuries. It's going to depend on lots of things like that.
It's also going to depend on whether anyone can credibly argue that the case, the injury, is partially your fault. If you got rear-ended and there's 10 witnesses that say you got rear-ended and you were doing everything right, that's a very strong case, you're going to end up with more money. Or if you have a case where you say you had the green light, and the other guy says he had the green light it's going to be maybe a 50-50 case. Your damages, whatever they are, could get reduced by 50 or you could go to trial and lose. Which is why the settlement value of a case like that goes way down even if your injuries are really big.
The Case Cash Calculator
But I have a way for you to get a pretty good idea of what your case value might be without ever talking to a lawyer. Now the best way to do it is to talk to a lawyer. But if you're not ready to talk to a lawyer, I have a tool on my website called the Case Cash Calculator. It literally takes 15 seconds or less to complete. It's like five or six real quick multiple choice questions, you answer the questions and then you get some idea of what your case might be worth right there, no waiting, no obligation.
Of course the gold standard is talking to an attorney to figure out what your case might be worth. I'm available for that but you know other lawyers are too. That is that folks, checkout the case cash calculator or give me a call if you have questions. I hope the information helped you.
