Legal Question in Personal Injury in Nevada

Re: Personal Injury Settlement Payment Amount

Honestly, that simplistic approach to valuation went away some time ago. Don't overlook the value of other areas of damages, including lost wages resulting from the injury.

Insurance companies use an enormous software application that pulls information from huge databases and runs it through complicated calculations that consider many factors in valuing a claim. The common "Colossus" program evaluates severity of injury, probability of scarring or disfigurement, long-term physical impairment, modalities of treatment, length of treatment time, invasiveness of therapies employed, affect on lifestyle and many other factors.

There may be some adjusters who still use antiquated formulaic approaches to valuation, but they are rare and certainly will never admit that is how they arrived at their offer for settlement.

All that said, if you want a reasonably accurate estimation of the value of your claim, you should consult an attorney experienced in personal injury and in negotiation of value with insurance adjusters. I would be very hesitant to advise you that the insurance adjuster will be candid and fair with you in dealing directly. Settlements with unrepresented claimants are consistently lower than those same claimants typically receive - even after paying legal fees and costs - when they have a qualified professional negotiate on their behalf.