Types of Personal Injury Damages
Accidents are a regular occurrence in the United States. Across the nation, car crashes, work accidents, slips, falls, and other accidents lead to serious injuries on a daily basis. If an accident is caused by recklessness or neglect, responsible parties should be held liable for resulting injuries and damages.
The personal injury lawyers at Moody Law can provide legal representation to accident victims in Lakeland, FL, Winter Haven, FL, and surrounding areas. We work hard to get injury victims the maximum compensation they are due for the full extent of their losses. Here we provide a brief overview of the most common types of personal injury damages.
Economic Damages
The bulk of personal injury damages are made up of economic losses. Economic damages are awarded to compensate injury victims for any financial losses that result from their injuries, such as the cost of medical care, and lost wages or income. Economic damages are easy to compute, because they are quantifiable.
Medical Expenses
Any injury may require medical care, which can be costly. The more serious an injury is, the greater the medical expenses are likely to be. Catastrophic injuries are likely to require ongoing or lifelong medical attention. It is important that liable parties are held accountable for these expenses. Medical expense damages in a personal injury case may include the cost of:
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Medical checkups
- Medication
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Medical devices
Lost Wages
Injury victims are often unable to work while they recover. If injuries are severe, a person may require an extended leave of absence from their place of employment. In some cases, injury damages may even leave a person unable to return to their previous line of work, due to an inability to complete essential job duties.
When filing a personal injury lawsuit, our clients have the right to seek compensation for any financial losses stemming from time off work, as well as any losses resulting from a change in wage-earning potential.
Non-economic Damages
Accidents frequently result in non-economic damages as well, such as emotional pain and suffering. Although these losses are not as easily quantifiable as economic losses, they can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life. It is important that non-economic losses are acknowledged, and that adequate compensation is provided to injury victims.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering is a general term that is used by the courts to cover a wide range of non-economic losses. Following an accident, our clients may suffer from physical pain, emotional stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, inconvenience, and diminished quality of life. All of these losses should be accounted for when awarding compensation for non-economic damages.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are only awarded when an accident is caused by blatant reckless behavior. Rather than compensating a claimant for their losses, punitive damages punish the plaintiff to deter them from similar behavior in the future.
Contact Us
If you have been injured in an accident and would like to hold liable parties responsible for your losses, it is time to consider a personal injury lawsuit. The attorneys at Moody Law would be happy to listen to the details of your case and advise you on your best course of legal action. To learn more, send us a message online at your earliest convenience or call (863) 733-9090.