The Value of a Scar

Perhaps the most difficult injury to value is a scar.

For this reason, very few cases go to trial as both the insurance company and the injured person fear that they cannot predict how the jury will evaluate this injury.

Common wisdom has been that a facial scar is worth more than a scar on an unexplosed area of the body and that a scar on a woman is worth more than a man.

What makes scar cases interesting is that the value of a scar is determined by the eyes of the person owning the scar. Severe, disfiguring scars can have a dramatic effect on an individual’s employment opportunities and social opportunties. Scars can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression.

We have handled scar cases from dog bites on arms, faces, hands and legs. Some dogs can literally tear the flesh from the face of a child and we know of cases where dogs have literally ripped faces off children.

We have also handled many burn injury scarring cases. Burn injuries often result in severe scarring and burns are the most painful of all injuries.

In many cases, we refer our clients to reconstructive surgeons for evaluations of surgical options. We have had many clients have enormous success with reconstructive surgery as they have had their face and self-esteem restored.