Types of Personal Injury Compensation
You may be eligible for compensation if sustained an injury due to the negligence or wrongdoing of a third party. Learn more about the types of damages you may get by speaking with a personal injury attorney near you.
There are two major categories of damages that can be awarded in personal injury cases which are economic and non-economic damages. This article will go over these two categories and discuss how they affect the amount you are entitled for compensation.
Economic Damages
A person may be entitled to financial damages after being injured in an accident. These damages could include medical expenses, lost earnings and property damage.
These kinds of injuries can often be very expensive, particularly if there are serious injuries. This is because they require intensive treatment. As they heal, victims may need to pay for prescription medication or mobility equipment.
These expenses can quickly grow This is why it is essential to keep receipts. Having these receipts will allow you to prove the true amount of your losses and increase the value of your compensation.
In personal injury cases, lost earnings and future income are common kinds of economic loss. This is due to the fact that a victim could be without work for a period of weeks, months or even years following an accident. In this case, the compensation award should reflect the amount the victim would have earned if they were not unable to work.
If a person is disabled or an individual in the family dies due to an accident, the victim may be eligible to receive damages for life care services. These include nursing, home health and physical therapy.
Many people require help doing the things they used to do before their accident. These may include household chores, driving a vehicle, taking care of the outdoors and providing childcare for a dependent family member.
In these instances an attorney might be competent to provide receipts and bills as well as other evidence of the value of these items. They may also hire experts to testify on the value of these damages.
These damages can be valued different based on the particular needs of the victim and the circumstances surrounding the accident. A jury will typically examine a range of factors when determining an award for economic damages.
These damages can include:
The two most painful things that happen in life are pain and suffering.
This award is usually given to victims of serious accidents who suffer physical or emotional injuries as a result of the accident. These awards can be very small (a few dollars for suffering) or even substantial (millions in a case of wrongful death).
Emotional distress
The type of damages mentioned above is targeted at redressing the emotional stress an injury can cause a victim. personal injury attorney providence can include things like depression, anxiety and a loss of pleasure in life.
Disfigurement
An injured person who has suffered permanent damage as a result of an accident could be eligible for this. It can be very costly since many people require surgery or other treatments to fix or remove disfigurements.
The loss of companionship and the consortium
This damages award is designed to provide compensation for the loss suffered by someone you love due to the loss. This is especially important for those who have children or other dependents.
The award of non-economic damages are a distinct part of the legal system from economic damages, and is much rarer. While they may be 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 restrictions as economic damages.