Types of Personal Injury Compensation
You could be eligible for compensation if you were injured due to negligence or the wrongdoing of another person. Learn about the types of damages you may be awarded by speaking to an attorney who handles personal injury cases near you.
There are two major categories of damages that can be granted in personal injury cases that are non-economic and economic damages. This article will look at these categories and explain how they could impact the amount of compensation you're entitled to recover.
Economic Damages
If a person is injured in an accident, they may be entitled to compensation for their losses. These may include medical bills loss of wages, property damage.
Often, these kinds of damages can be extremely costly especially in the case of serious injuries. This is because they will require intensive treatment. After recovering, patients may have to pay for mobility equipment or prescription medications.
personal injury attorneys bend can quickly grow, so it is important to keep receipts. These receipts can help you establish the worth of your losses and increase your compensation.
Other forms of economic damages in personal injury cases involve lost wages and future income. This is because victims may be out-of-work for months, weeks, or even for years following an accident. In this scenario the award of compensation must reflect the amount the victim could have earned if they were not disabled from working.
If someone is disabled or the death of a family member occurs as the result of an accident, the victim may be able to claim damages for services provided to the living. These include nursing, home health, and physical therapy.
Many people require help in the same areas they did before their accident. These could include household chores, driving a car as well as taking care of the outdoors and assisting an individual in the family who is dependent.
In these situations an attorney may be competent to provide receipts and bills and other evidence of the value of these items. They can also employ experts to testify regarding the worth of these damages.
The value of these damages can vary in a wide range depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident and the needs of the victim. Typically, a jury will consider a wide range of factors when making an award for economic damages.
Examples of these damages could be:
Pain and suffering
This award is usually given to those injured in serious accidents who suffer physical or emotional injuries as a result of the accident. These awards can range from small (a small amount of money for suffering and pain) to huge sums of money (millions of dollars in a wrongful death case).
Emotional distress
This type of damages is aimed at compensating the emotional strain that an injury causes a victim. It can include things like depression, anxiety and loss of enjoyment in life.
Disfigurement
It can be given to someone who is injured and is permanently damaged because of the accident. It is costly as many people require surgery or other treatments to correct or eliminate disfigurements.
Loss of companionship and consortium
This damages award is designed to pay for the loss of someone you love in the event of an accident. This is particularly important for those who have dependents or children.
The awarding of non-economic damages is an independent part of the legal system, distinct from economic damages, and is more difficult to obtain. Non-economic damages may be subject to a higher burden of evidence, but they are generally more difficult to value than economic damages and are not subject to the same limitations as economic damages.