Generally, there are two categories of monetary damages in personal injury cases, economic and non-economic. Rarely, a successful plaintiff may recover punitive damages. A los angeles personal injury attorney Can talk with you about the types of compensation you can seek and help you understand the different types of personal injury damages.
economic loss
Economic damages represent the financial loss a person may experience after being harmed by someone else’s negligence. Some common types of economic losses include:
- medical expenses. Typically, a personal injury plaintiff may seek to recover the reasonable cost of necessary medical treatment for his injuries. Some examples are ambulances, emergency rooms, hospitals, doctors, surgery, blood transfusions, diagnostic procedures, physical therapy, prescription drugs, and pain management.
- lost wages. If a person has missed a paycheck while away from work recovering from their injuries and undergoing medical treatment such as surgery and physical therapy, they can include this financial loss in their injury claim.
- long term care. Debilitating injuries such as spinal cord damage and head trauma can make a person dependent on daily assistance with medical treatment and personal care. The delinquent party should be responsible for this expense.
- Lost future wages. Severe injuries may leave a person unable to earn pre-accident income even after reaching maximum healing. Lack of income is financial hardship.
The type of monetary damages you can go after for your financial loss will depend on your circumstances. Every personal injury case is different.
non-pecuniary loss
Some damages are not so easy to quantify because they do not come with a paper trail like an invoice or receipt, but your personal injury lawyer knows how to calculate a fair range of compensation. Some examples of non-economic damages, also known as intangible damages, are:
- pain and suffering. For the purposes of personal injury, pain is physical discomfort and suffering is the discomfort and emotional distress of being injured by someone else’s negligence.
- Disfigurement damages may be appropriate when a person develops extensive scars from their wounds and medical treatments.
- A large number of people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after experiencing a horrific accident.
- Chronic depression and anxiety can be the result of a serious injury, especially one that left a lasting impact on your quality of life.
- People who suffer from life-changing injuries such as paralysis or amputation may experience a loss of enjoyment of life due to their impairments.
You will want to talk to a personal injury attorney about all the ways you have been affected by your injuries. If you incur damages that you inadvertently didn’t include in your claim, but you’ve already paid your claim, you can’t go back and ask for more money.
punitive damages
In rare cases, one may ask the court to award punitive damages, above and beyond economic and intangible damages. Punitive damages awards often make the news, as these awards are very rare. To qualify for punitive damages, you must prove extraordinary conduct on the part of the defendant, such as actual malice or reckless disregard for the safety of others.
A Los Angeles personal injury attorney can help you seek compensation in your personal injury case. To help with your case, contact our office today,