Altimeters And Treatment Expenses

We have an altimeter at our cabin. My dad took it out of his plane. I like it because it reminds me of him.

I was looking at it the other day and realized there was a connection between the altimeter and value in personal injury cases.

An altimeter doesn’t directly measure altitude.

Altitude is determined based on the measurement of atmospheric pressure. The higher the altitude, the lower the pressure. The lower the altitude, the higher the pressure.

Volume of treatment and treatment expenses act a lot like the altimeter in personal injury cases.

They don’t directly establish case value (just like an altimeter doesn’t directly measure elevation). But in most cases they provide a pretty good indicator of severity of injury. And that has a big impact on what the case is worth.

Treatment helps symptoms resolve and produces the best recovery possible. It also has a big impact on the value of personal injury claims.

Deciding not to get treatment sends the message that either there aren’t symptoms. Or that the symptoms don’t have a big impact on quality of life.

That’s not as serious as seeing the hands of the altimeter spinning toward 0 feet. But it makes it really tough to extract full value from personal injury claims.