When investigating and preparing a personal injury case, either to submit a claim to an insurance company or to file a personal injury lawsuit, a significant part of the time is used to determine the amount of compensation the injured party should request. The injury victim and/or his or her attorney must consider not only the expenses and losses the victim has already experienced, but also those expenses and losses the victim is likely to experience in the future as a result of the injury.
Typical and Not So Typical Compensable Expenses and Losses
The common expenses and losses for which compensation is sought include medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, to name a few. In Minnesota and North Dakota as well as other states, you may be able to receive the replacement costs for your household services, as well.
Many parents and/or homeowners do not consider the impact that an injury accident can have on their ability to perform tasks around the house such as:
- Housework and cleaning, dusting, and dishes;
- Lawn care and lawn upkeep;
- Laundry and clothing care;
- Home repairs;
- Cooking;
- Other tasks related to maintaining and keeping a home.
If your injuries prevent you in some way from being able to complete these tasks, you may be entitled to request and receive compensation for the reasonable costs associated with hiring another individual to perform these duties.
How are Household Services Valued?
Before a request for compensation for household services is granted, you must request such compensation and quantify the amount of compensation you will need in order to be made whole. Even if your family insists that your cooking is better than any restaurant and/or you keep a house better than the housekeeping team at a five-star hotel, in many cases a court will compensate you in an amount equal to the amount it would cost to hire someone to perform the tasks in a reasonably competent manner. While the court will not require you to hire the cheapest individual available to help you perform household tasks, neither will the court indulge you to hire the most expensive individual or firm, either.
Contact Your Minnesota and North Dakota Personal Injury Attorney
In order to be fully and fairly compensated for your injuries, you must be certain to properly value your case at the time you file a claim for compensation. In order to properly value your case, you need the assistance of O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys’s experienced personal injury lawyers Timothy O’Keeffe, Tatum O’Brien and Sara Monson. We will take the time to thoroughly consider the full impact of your personal injury accident had and will have on your life and your family. Doing so could help you obtain full and fair compensation for your past and future losses. Contact O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys online, or by calling 701-235-8000 or 877-235-8002 and discuss your case with us today.