Types of Personal Injury Compensation

You may be eligible for compensation if you sustained an injury due to negligence or wrongdoing of another person. Speak with a personal injury lawyer near you to find out more about the potential damages you could be awarded.

In personal injury cases there are two kinds of damages that can occur both economic and non-economic. This article will discuss these two categories and discuss how they affect the amount you're entitled to for compensation.

Economic Damages

If someone is injured in an accident, they could be entitled to compensation for their losses. These could include medical costs loss of wages, property damage.

Often, these kinds of damages can be extremely expensive especially in the case of serious injuries. This is because they will require extensive treatment. As they heal, victims may have to pay for mobility equipment or personal injury prescription medications.

The cost of these expenses can be astronomical quickly, and it is crucial to keep receipts for them. These receipts will help prove the true value of your losses as well as increase your compensation.

In personal injury cases, lost wages and future income are common types of economic losses. This is because victims may be out-of-work for weeks, months, or even years after an accident. In these instances the victim is entitled to the amount they would have received if they had been able to work.

A person who is disabled or has lost a loved one because of an accident could be entitled to damages for life-care services. These include nursing, home health and physical therapy.

Many people require help to complete the tasks they did prior to their accident. This could include household chores, driving, taking care of the outdoors, and taking care of an individual in the family who is dependent.

In these situations an attorney might be capable of providing receipts, bills and other evidence of the cost of these items. They may also hire experts to testify regarding the worth of these damages.

These damages are valued different based on the particular requirements of the victim as well as the circumstances surrounding the incident. In general, juries take into consideration a variety of factors when making an award for economic damages.

These damages could include:

Pain and suffering

The award is typically awarded to those injured in serious accidents who are suffering physical or emotional injuries as a result of the accident. The awards can range from minor (a few dollars for suffering and pain) to massive amounts of money (millions of dollars in a wrongful-death case).

Emotional distress

The type of damages mentioned above is targeted at redressing the emotional strain that an injury can cause a victim. It can include things like depression, anxiety and loss of enjoyment in life.

Disfigurement

An injured person who is permanently damaged as a result of an accident may be eligible for this. This can be costly since many people require surgery or other treatments to correct or eliminate imperfections.

Loss of companionship and consortium

The purpose of this award is to provide compensation for the loss suffered by someone you love due to the loss. This is particularly important for those who have dependents or children.

Non-economic damages are a distinct part the legal system in comparison to economic damages and are significantly less common. While they can have the burden of proof higher however, non-economic damages are typically more difficult to value and are not subject to the same limitations as economic damages.