3 Types of Personal Injury Damages: Understanding Your Compensation Options
A serious injury can be life-altering, and if it’s due to someone else’s negligence, you could be entitled to compensation for your losses. You can claim personal injury damages for all the physical, emotional, and financial hardships the accident caused.
There are many types of compensation that can be awarded in personal injury cases. The type of personal injury damages you may be eligible to receive will depend on the circumstances of the accident and how the injury has affected your life.
However, you do have options, and with legal assistance, you may be able to claim more than you expected. Here are the three types of damages you can claim.
The Three Types of Personal Injury Damages
1: Economic Damages
Also known as special damages, economic damages are the easiest type to calculate. These damages are meant to compensate you with a specific monetary value for any financial losses that were a direct result of your injury.
Examples of economic damages may include:
- Medical Expenses
You can claim the cost of any past, present, or future medical treatments, hospital stays, surgeries, medications, and other medical expenses related to your injury.
- Lost Wages
If you miss work because of your injury, you may be able to seek compensation for the wages you would have earned during that time. You may also be entitled to compensation if the injury affected your capacity to earn income, or you lost your job because of it.
- Property Damage
If a situation like a car accident caused damage to your personal property, you can seek compensation to repair or replace it.
- Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
If you’re in need of long-term care, rehabilitation, physical therapy, or assistive devices because of your injury, then the cost of these items may also be included in your economic damages.
- Funeral Expenses: The family of a personal injury victim may be entitled to reimbursement for funeral expenses if the injury resulted in death.
2: Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are also known as general damages, and are more subjective than economic damages. These damages are meant to compensate you for any intangible losses you have experienced. It can be difficult to calculate this type of compensation, because it involves many emotional factors.
Non-economic damages may include:
- Pain and Suffering
You can receive compensation for the physical pain, discomfort, and emotional suffering that the injury caused.
- Emotional Distress
If the injury has caused you significant mental anguish—such as anxiety, depression, or psychological trauma—then you are also entitled to reimbursement.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life
You may be able to receive compensation for the loss of your ability to participate in the activities and hobbies you used to enjoy due to the injury.
- Loss of Consortium
If an injury to your spouse or partner has negatively impacted your relationship, you may be able to seek compensation for the loss of their companionship, affection, and support.
3: Punitive Damages
In some cases, the court may also award punitive damages intended to punish the defendant for their reckless conduct, and deter them from repeating the behavior.
However, punitive damages are rarely awarded. They are typically only an option when the personal injury incident involves intentional harm, gross negligence, or malicious actions.
For example, punitive damages may be awarded in a wrongful death case where a pharmaceutical company knew about the dangers of a certain medication, and their decision not to disclose those risks resulted in death.
Personal Injury Attorney in Scottsdale, Arizona
If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, it’s crucial that you consult an experienced personal injury lawyer. The expert team at Van Norman Law can help you understand which types of personal injury damages you may be entitled to recover, and will fight for you to receive the compensation you deserve.
Give us a call at 480-481-0616 today to schedule your free consultation.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (7/18/2023). Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Pexels