(Newswire.net — February 1, 2024) — After enduring an injury because of another person’s negligent acts, you won’t realize how much it costs until the bills start arriving. Your focus should always remain on healing from your injuries, but now you have the added stress of medical bills, property damage repairs, and more.
Additionally, you’re likely unable to work, and without a salary, you could get in financial trouble. Fortunately, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the negligent party to recover compensation.
There are three types of damages you should understand in the personal injury process.
1. Economic Damages
Economic damages are easy to quantify thanks to bills and receipts. Medical bills are always a part of economic damages since you must have gotten injured to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Your medical bills can include the ambulance ride to the hospital, surgeries, your hospital stay, physical therapy, prescriptions, and more. You may be permanently impacted by these injuries and have to use a wheelchair or walker. You may also require a nurse or other medical assistant to care for you in the short or long term.
The future costs of your medical needs can also be factored into the compensation for economic damages you seek in your lawsuit. In addition to the medical expenses, you can add your lost wages along with a loss of earning capacity if you can no longer return to your field. Depending on your type of personal injury case, you may also have other economic damages such as property damage or out-of-pocket expenses that resulted from your injuries.
2. Non-Economic Damages
While economic damages are more tangible, non-economic damages are harder to estimate. These damages are real, but there are no receipts to quantify them with an exact dollar amount.
Pain and suffering are prime examples of non-economic damages. This involves the physical, emotional, and mental distress an injured victim experiences from a traumatic accident. Some injuries, like traumatic brain injuries, can cause the victim of a personal injury accident to experience ongoing pain and suffering. Other injuries may leave the victim permanently disfigured or result in an amputation.
You may also endure a loss of enjoyment of life when your injuries prevent you from enjoying things you once loved. For example, if you were active in sports and can no longer participate in them because of your injuries, you could seek compensation for those non-economic damages.
Non-economic damages aren’t easy to prove on your own. It is important to discuss your case with a law team in White Marsh to help you calculate these damages and fight for what is fair.
3. Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are not always available in every personal injury case. They are most often applied in cases that involve malice or wrongful death. The only way to win an award for punitive damages is to prove that the at-fault party was acting intentionally or with wanton recklessness.
For help with the full extent of your damages, you should seek legal advice from an experienced attorney.