Putting an exact price on a specific injury depends on so many factors. What is crucial is not to sell yourself short.
Let’s say you lose something small, like a finger. You may have seen people with missing fingers going about life as if nothing had happened. Does that mean you will be able to? Not necessarily.
Here are two questions to ask yourself:
How does losing a body part make you feel?
If you wore a ring for a long time then removed it, you may occasionally feel that the ring is still there. If you lose a body part, you may also feel it is still there at times. Known as phantom pain, it is one of several ways the amputation could affect you mentally.
Many people who lose a body part suffer from depression or post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). Some even have suicidal thoughts. It can affect you, your relationships and your ability to enjoy life or carry out your job as usual.
How does it affect your ability to do things?
Jerry Garcia founded and played guitar in the Grateful Dead and he had lost part of a finger. So you can still achieve great things despite losing a body part. Yet it will require adjusting how you do something, and you may regress in your ability to do the things you love or get paid to do. At least for a while.
This could affect your ability to earn and enjoy your hobbies. Even something as simple as replying to a text message may take longer than before.
Do not rush to settle a workers’ compensation claim. Get help to examine the full financial effect your injury could have and to fight to get the compensation that covers it.