Types of Personal Injury Compensation
You could be eligible for compensation if you were injured due to the negligence or wrongdoing of a third person. Talk to a personal injury lawyer near you to learn more about the potential damages you could be awarded.
In personal injury law firms injury cases, there are two types of damages that can occur that are non-economic and economic. This article will explore these categories and discuss how they could impact the amount of compensation you’re entitled to.
Economic Damages
When a person is injured in an accident, they may be entitled for financial damages. These damages could include medical expenses, lost earnings and property damage.
Most of the time, these types of damage can be very costly, particularly in the case of serious injuries. This is because they require intensive treatment. As they recover, victims might need to pay for mobility equipment or prescription medications.
The cost of these expenses can be astronomical quickly, which is why it is important to keep receipts of these expenses. These receipts will allow you to determine the true worth of your losses and increase your compensation.
Other types of economic damages in personal injury cases involve loss of earnings and future earnings. This is due to the fact that a victim could be without work for a period of weeks, months or even years after an accident. In this scenario the award of compensation should reflect the amount that the victim would have made if they weren’t unable to work.
If someone is disabled or someone in the family dies due to an accident, the victim could be able to claim damages for the services they received in life. These include nursing, home health and physical therapy.
Many people require help with the same tasks that they completed prior to their accident. These include household chores driving a car, caring for the outdoors as well as taking care of the dependent family member.
In these situations an attorney might be capable of providing receipts, bills as well as other evidence of the cost of these items. They may also engage experts to testify on the value of these damages.
The amount of these damages can vary significantly based on the circumstances surrounding the accident and the victim’s specific needs. A jury will typically take into consideration a variety of factors when determining an award for economic damages.
These damages could include:
Pain and suffering
This award is usually given to those who have suffered serious injuries who have suffered physical or emotional injuries as a consequence of the accident. These awards can range from small (a couple of dollars for pain and suffering) to huge sums of money (millions of dollars in a wrongful death case).
Emotional distress
This type of damages is targeted at redressing the emotional stress an injury causes a victim. It can include things like anxiety, depression and a loss of enjoyment in life.
Disfigurement
It can be given to someone who is injured and has been permanently disfigured because of the accident. This can be costly since many people require surgery or other treatments to correct or remove disfigurements.
Loss of the consortium and companionship
This damages award is intended to pay for the loss of a loved person due to the loss. This is especially relevant for those who have children or dependents.
The awarding of non-economic damages is an independent part of the legal system that is distinct from economic damages, and is much more rare. While they are subject to a higher burden of evidence in the case of non-economic damages, they are more difficult to quantify and are not subject to the same limitations as economic damages.