Say you’re involved in what you thought was a minor fender-bender in the campus parking lot. But the impact caused your airbag to deploy, which unexpectedly caused serious facial injuries, including a broken orbital bone and a deep gash across your left cheek.
Both the bone and cut have healed after several weeks, but now you’re left with a visible scar across the left side of your face (which the hospital staff said might happen, despite their best efforts). Physically, you feel just fine, but the scar is a constant source of anxiety, especially when people stare at you.
Your attorney is confident you’ll get a large settlement from the other driver’s insurance company, but if you’re injured and out of work you may need cash upfront. Thankfully you have options, such as a no-risk, pre-settlement cash advance from Provident Lawsuit Loans in as little as 24 hours.
Damages: Determining the Cost of Scarring
As the above scenario illustrates, scarring may be a “superficial” wound but it can have a real impact on your life — and not just for those who make their livelihoods based on their appearance.
Scarring and physical disfigurements in general — which typically lasts a lifetime — are classified as “residual” injuries. As such, these types of injuries can result in relatively high settlement amounts, even minor scars.
The Effect of Age
All else equal, the younger you are the higher the average settlement amount. This is because juries realize that the plaintiff likely will live with the disfigurement for a much longer portion of their lives.
The Effect of Gender
Also — while it may be steeped in sexism — injury awards for scarring are generally higher for women than for men. While it may be unfair that women are judged by their appearance more than men, this superficial discrepancy often has concrete ramifications in one’s personal and professional lives (factoring into pain and suffering damages, for instance).
The relevance of a plaintiff’s gender in a lawsuit for a scar injury will not be openly discussed but is indeed a factor that should be considered when negotiating a settlement.
When Scarring Has a Material Impact Beyond the Superficial
The individual in the opening example was an aspiring actor with genuine concern about how a quite visible facial scar will impact their career. The same could be said about modeling or other professions where appearance is crucial.
In those instances, damages could be calculated more concretely — “This disfigurement has severely impacted my employment prospects” — not unlike a plumber who’s unable to work due to a residual shoulder injury.
What to Do When You Need Money Before the Settlement
It can be quite frustrating when you’re fairly certain you’ll be getting a sizeable settlement for a scarring injury sometime in the future but have expenses today. This is especially true when the scarring or disfigurement can be fixed (at a price) but stands in the way of your plans. But you don’t have to sit around and wait.
If you qualify, we can get you funding within 24 hours. We also guarantee the lowest rates among our competitors and have a no-win / no-pay guarantee. Call today and take control of your future.