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How Does Age Affect Personal Injury? 

By Karnas Law Firm |

They say age is just a number, but it is definitely more than just a number when it comes to personal injury cases. The personal injury statistics based on age prove just that. Moreover, in a personal injury claim, your age will be a determining factor in how the court and insurance companies determine your case.

Even if someone’s negligence caused your injury, your age would play a role in determining how much your case is worth. Therefore, whenever you are bringing forth a personal injury claim, you should always consider how your age will affect the claim’s value. Contact a Tucson Personal Injury Attorney to find out more.

Personal Injury Statistics

According to statistics by The Bureau of Labor Statistics, injuries at the workplace are strongly correlated to the worker’s age. Workers under 35 were responsible for sixty percent of workplace injuries. The main reason is that workers aged 35 and below accounted for 50% of the workplace.

Moreover, younger workers were more likely to work in more hazardous conditions than their older counterparts. The vast majority of workplace injuries occurred in the first year of employment, which is why young workers take the lion’s share of workplace injuries. Workers over the age of 65 accounts for only three percent of workplace injuries.

However, the type of personal injuries is drastically different among various age groups. Falls are the most common source of workplace injuries and the second most common cause of unintentional injuries worldwide. Workers over the age of 60 suffer the highest number of accidental falls in the workplace. Part of the reason is that falls are unlikely to cause severe injuries to younger workforce members.

Despite younger workers accounting for a higher fraction of workplace injuries, older workers accounted for a higher share of serious injuries. Younger workers under 35 years of age were more likely to suffer from temporary injuries that healed quickly than older workers over the age of 65, who were more likely to be incapacitated for the rest of their lives as well as fatal injuries.

How Age Affects The Value of a Personal Injury Claim

Pain and suffering are the most significant elements affecting the value of a personal injury claim. Many people claim that pain is pain regardless of a person’s age. However, pain from an injury will affect people differently depending on their age.

A young person (under 35 years) who suffers a debilitating injury, for example, damage to the spinal cord, will experience a lot more pain and suffering in their lives than an elderly worker (above 60 years).

Therefore, a judge or jury will often determine that a young person deserves more in compensation during a personal injury claim than an older person considering they suffer the same injury, the reason being they have to live for longer with the consequences of the damage.

However, a young person may be more likely to recover from an injury faster than an older person, who may reduce the value of their claim.

The fact of the matter is that it is impossible to determine how age will affect a personal injury claim conclusively. No one can accurately determine how it will affect a personal injury claim. The only way to do so is to consult an experienced personal injury attorney.

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