Every case and every person is different. For example, suppose that two people lose the tip of their index finger in an accident. One person is a financial manager, and the loss of the tip of his finger does not interfere with his ability to work. The other person is a concert pianist, and the loss of the tip of her finger results in a serious risk to her career. In that situation, the injured pianist would be entitled to receive a much higher amount to make up for the money she would have made had she not been injured.
Some damages—such as past medical expenses or lost wages—can be determined quite easily. Other damages—such as pain and suffering and future medical expenses—are much harder to calculate. Attorneys estimate a reasonable value by researching what juries have awarded plaintiffs (the injured person) in similar cases, or the amounts for which similar cases have settled out of court, along with the circumstances of their client's case.
Another factor in determining the amount of monetary recovery is the amount of insurance or other property the at-fault party has. If a client was hit by a car while lawfully crossing the street and became a quadriplegic, those damages would typically run into millions of dollars. But if the driver only has a $15,000 insurance policy and a minimum wage job, with no other property, it’s probable the case will settle for only $15,000. But if the driver was in a company vehicle on company business, the company may have insurance coverage that provides several million in damages.