What Are the 3 Types of Damages in Personal Injury Cases?

The types of damages in personal injury cases depend on the circumstances and what exactly was lost in the accident. But what are the 3 types of damages dealt with daily? A personal injury lawyer will obtain economic damage, non-economic damage and take punitive action if the situation calls for it.

There’s a lot you have to think about when it comes to pursuing a personal injury case. Oftentimes the accidents you deal with are sudden, and they can rocket a person’s life right off course. You want to know that you’ll be safe, and a lot of the worries you have can be covered by the types of damages the right team can help you seek.

Hospital bills can be paid for, stress can be compensated, and negligence can come with a monetary consequence. It won’t solve everything, but a good personal injury team can help you recover safely. Let’s go into further detail on what these types of compensation really mean.

Economic Damage

Economic damage seeks to encompass any direct financial loss you may have been given in the wake of your accident. This could result from loss of earnings, property damage, or any kind of medical expenses.

When you seek a personal injury case, you’re likely coping with an immense burden. And while a court may be unable to ease the physical pain you may have sustained in the accident, they’re capable of lifting the financial one.

During your trial, the court will calculate your economic damage based on medical bills and noted time away from work. From information relating to the accident and what you’ve done to recover, they will pay a sum of money to bring you closer to where you were before the injury.

Non-Economic/General Damage

Non-economic or “general” damage relates to things that don’t necessarily have a monetary value. In the best-case scenario, something like a car crash can leave you with a damaged vehicle and a trip to the hospital for a sprained neck. It’s not fun, but with the right personal injury lawyer, you can get your costs covered and then some.

But what if that car crash caused you to lose a member of your family? What if the physical injury isn’t too severe, but it makes it harder to do the things in life that you love? When it comes to types of damages in personal injury cases, non-economic damages are harder to evaluate. Most judges and insurers struggle to see a lost loved one or a life unable to be fully lived in the form of a dollar amount.

We attempt to calculate with certain factors like the age, income, and severity of the trauma. What a case comes up with will likely not be enough, as nothing truly can be, but it’s given in the hopes that it’ll help the plaintiff keep on living.

Punitive Damage

Unlike other types of damages in personal injury cases, punitive damage has less to do with you and more to do with the defendant. Economic and non-economic damage works to help you get back to health, but punitive damage is meant to punish any negligence on the defendant’s behalf. They act as a warning to keep what happened to you from happening to anyone else.

Let’s go back to the example of a car crash. There’s a chance that the accident was an unmalicious act of fate. That happens. However, we also often discover the driver has a history of reckless driving. They may be proven to exhibit the type of negligent behavior that makes them a more active player in your injury. In that case, they can be forced to pay as a punishment.

Depending on the state you live in, their government may not allow punitive damage. If they do, there’s a chance that they cap the amount at twice the sum of the compensation. Regardless, if your personal injury was less an Act of God and more like an Act of Stupidity, we can make that work in your favor.

Filing Your Personal Injury Lawsuit

There are many circumstances in which you can file a personal injury lawsuit. Some of the most common cases come from off the road – be it from cars and trucks, motorcycles, or pedestrians. Personal injury lawyers can also cover you through slip and fall accidents, medical malpractice, or product defects.

These kinds of accidents can range from broken bones to brain trauma or other internal injuries. An excellent personal injury lawyer intends to make sure you’re covered not just from the original accident but also on the path to recovery, as long as that may be.

As you trust in your loved ones through any difficult period, finding a personal injury lawyer you can trust to bring you the compensation you deserve is invaluable.

Since 1992, our personal injury attorneys at the Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, APC. have been fighting for the people. Now, when those injured in car accidents or motorcycle accidents need financial help, or for the families that need to know that the loss of a loved one could have been prevented, there is a personal injury law firm in San Diego that is on their side.

If you or a family member has been injured, call the lawyers at Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, APC. There’s never been a better time than right now to speak to a personal injury attorney—FREE of charge. Call us at 858-551-2090 or request a free consultation online today!