Determining the value of a personal injury claim can be a complicated process.
Every case is different, and its unique circumstances must be taken into account.
Legal practitioners use professional documentation and expert guidance to help them to navigate the process and ensure a just and fair result.
One important resource is the Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Judicial College Guidelines, this article aims to explain what they are and the role they play in determining the value of personal injury claims.
What are the Judicial College Guidelines for Personal Injury?
The Judicial College Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases is an important resource that legal professionals use to help determine the value of personal injury claims.
The guidelines comprise 14 chapters, each relating to a different group of related injuries. Each chapter provides guideline compensation figures for each type of injury based on severity. They also explain how to define each grade of severity.
The guidelines were created to help standardise the process of calculating compensation to create fair and consistent outcomes.
How are the Judicial College Guidelines used to determine the value of personal injury claims?
The Judicial College Guidelines set out a range of possible compensation amounts for different types of injuries based on the body part affected and the severity of the injury.
For example, one of the 14 chapters within the guidelines relates to ‘orthopaedic injuries’; this section lists many different types of orthopaedic injuries, including wrist injuries, toe injuries, and back injuries.
For each injury, it then sets out a guideline figure for general damages based on the severity of the injuries.
The guidelines are there to provide legal practitioners with a valuable starting point for calculating the value of personal injury claims. Each personal injury case must be assessed based on its unique merits.
Some of the factors that can affect the valuation of a personal injury claim include the claimant’s age, length of recovery time, long-term health implications, and the impact of the injury on their quality of life.
The guidelines also only cover compensation for ‘general damages’. General damages include the injury itself and its direct impact. They do not cover ‘special damages’, which are additional costs incurred due to the injury, such as loss of earnings, medical expenses, and other financial losses. These additional losses must be calculated separately and added to the general damages.
Claim compensation for a personal injury with Mark Reynolds Solicitors
Need help with a personal injury claim?
Here at Mark Reynolds Solicitors, our team of personal injury solicitors have the experience and knowledge required to navigate the complexities of personal injury law and help you get the compensation you deserve.
For more information or to receive a free consultation with our team, call us today on 0800 002 9577.