Why is one medical malpractice case worth 10 million and another case worth 500k? The heart of this question gets to the issue of what we call “damages” in the legal world. For many people, the issue of damages can be confusing.
For example, we sometimes speak to individuals who will say, Mr. Boston my friend was injured too and he got X for his case. Does this mean that I will get the same thing?” Following the conclusion of this educational article you will have a better understanding of the question, why is one medical malpractice case worth 10 million and another case worth 500k?
DAMAGES AND MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE WORTH…
Damages are one part of four essential elements in Maryland negligence cases, with the other three elements being duty, breach of duty, and causation. The easiest way to understand damages in this context is the harm done to you. With that said, damages can be further broken down into economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are the types of damages that can be measured and calculated. For example, missed wages at work due to your injury will be considered economic damages. This is due to the fact you can calculate your salary and how much time you have currently missed from work. The same can be said for things like current and future medical bills.
Non-economic damages are the opposite of economic damages. An example of non-economic damages would be pain and suffering. Note, as of the writing of this article, Maryland has a cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. Non-economic damages are not “calculated” the same way as economic damages.
WHY IS ONE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASE WORTH 10 MILLION
Why is one medical malpractice case worth 10 million and another case worth 500k? The above section should give you a good foundation as to some of the issues to be considered. For example, in the 10 million dollar case, that person may need lifelong medical care. Add the future needs for medical care, past medical bills would also be taken into consideration. On the flip side, in the 500K case, the injured person might not need as much future medical care, thus reducing the amount of their damages.
In addition to medical bills, maybe the person who has the 10 million case will never be able to work again. Contrast that to the person with the case work 500k, maybe they will be able to work again in the future.
These issues, among others, go into determining the value of a Maryland medical malpractice case. Because these cases are so fact specific, your Maryland medical malpractice lawyer will take the time to evaluate all of the facts before giving you an estimate as to case value.
DO YOU NEED TO SPEAK WITH ME ABOUT YOUR MEDICAL INJURY?
If you have suffered an injury at the hands of a doctor or hospital, this is what I invite you to do. Pick up the phone and give me a call. I can be reached at 301-850-4832. The call is free and I answer medical and birth injury questions like yours all the time.
Marcus B. Boston, Esq.
Boston Law Group, LLC
2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815
bostonlawllc.com
301-850-4832