By now, the entire world knows about the United Airlines case that involved Dr Dao, a passenger that was dragged off their airplane against his will. During the exchange, which was videotaped, broadcasted and went viral in the blink of an eye, Dr. Dao was clearly injured, as was evident by the blood dripping from his head and his semiconscious state. The incident unleashed an unending stream of negative publicity for United Airlines. To rectify the situation and put a close to it, the airline offered Dr. Dao a settlement for an undisclosed amount. Many people are wondering just how much the settlement was for. Given what happened to the doctor, it must have been a handsome amount, right? – Well, not necessarily.
More about this case
Determining the value of injuries isn’t an exact science. Though Dao’s attorney stated that he sustained multiple injuries as a result of the incident, including a concussion, a broken nose, lost teeth and sinus injuries that will require surgery – injuries that certainly warrant financial reimbursement – what really impacts the value of damages that Dao received is whether or not he has sustained a permanent injury that will require long-term medical care. You see, though all injuries that necessitate medical intervention can essentially be valued, permanent injuries – those that have lasting repercussions – tend to be awarded the highest amount of money.
Nobody can deny that Dao suffered injuries, and they were unwarranted and they were the result of United Airlines’ negligence, if you remove the shock value from the case – the fact that it was broadcasted and watched by millions of people – his injuries may not have held a lot of monetary value.
But what about the embarrassment? Shouldn’t he be compensated? In many of the assault cases handled by the Aigen Injury Law, Miami personal injury lawyers, juries have considered the cost of humiliation and have awarded compensation. However, these types of damages are difficult to value, even for the most experienced Miami personal injury lawyer.
In a case like Dao’s, injuries are the only quantifiable measure to determine value of compensation, and according to our Miami accident lawyer, permanent injuries are awarded the highest value, and Dao’s injuries do not seem permanent. Given all of this, Dao’s biggest bargaining chips was the flurry of bad publicity for the airline; but, given the fact that people will likely quickly forget the incident and move forward, this may not have a lot of value either, which is why Dao’s attorney made the right decision to settle the case quickly; the sooner it was settled, the larger the settlement would be; the longer they waited, the less he would receive.
Personal injury cases are unique, which is why it’s imperative to have a highly experienced, skilled accident lawyer handle them. At the Aigen Injury Law, P.A., an experienced Miami personal injury lawyer is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week working relentlessly on behalf of injured victims. We offer a free consultation for your accident and there is no fee unless we recover for you.