Personal Injury Damages
Personal injuries are those that hurt one party because of another’s actions or lack thereof. As the person who was injured is not considered responsible, the court may award them damages—money meant to help compensate for their injuries.
Medical Treatment
Personal injury damages almost always include compensation for any medical care necessary in the wake of the injury. This would be for medical treatment you’ve already received as well as any bills you might incur in the future for health reasons related to the accident. Obviously, future costs are estimated.
Income
Oftentimes, a personal injury leaves you unable to work, at least for some period of time. This is why damages may also cover your loss of income. Like with medical bills, these damages cover money you’ve already lost as well as an estimate of what you won’t make going forward because of your injuries.
The legalese term for this type of compensation is “loss of earning capacity.”
Property Loss
Auto accidents are a common reason for personal injury claims. This is also a good example of when damages will also cover loss of property. If your car was damaged or destroyed due to someone else’s negligence, the court will most likely award you money to make repairs or cover the fair market value of your vehicle.
Obviously, there can be all kinds of property damaged during a personal injury. Boating accidents are another common type. If someone was in your home or working on it and hurt you in the process, you may need money for necessary repairs.
Pain and Suffering
It should go without saying that personal injuries lead to pain and suffering. While this type of mental anguish doesn’t just go away with a check, our legal system believes that some type of compensation is appropriate. This is why damages can be won for pain and suffering already incurred as well as any you may struggle with in the future because of your injury.
Emotional Distress
Another type of suffering you go through may be less obvious. Nonetheless, emotional distress is still a very real type of pain for those who are plagued by it. There are all kinds of reasons you may emotionally suffering as the result of a personal injury. You may be unable to get back on an aircraft after an accident. Some people can’t sleep because they keep reimaging the event that injured them.
As with pain and suffering, it’s tough to put a dollar sign on this one, but emotional distress is still compensated.
Loss of Enjoyment
Sadly, many people have no choice but to quit certain hobbies, sports, and other pursuits they once enjoyed after getting injured. Judges often award people damages because of this. Other reasons may be simply that the person is unable to get out of the house, socialize or otherwise enjoy life because of the trauma they suffered.
Loss of Consortium
Personal injuries often affect people who weren’t directly injured by the accident. Loss of consortium refers to the toll the accident takes on loved ones. Many people find that they are unable to carry on a sexual relationship with their spouse after being injured. Going back to the psychological issue, the victim might also feel that they can no longer emotionally connect with their loved one.
Sometimes the loss of consortium damages actually go right to the spouse or loved one involved. These damages can also be awarded to someone who feels their relationship with their children has been hurt.
If you have been the victim of an injury because of someone else’s actions or negligence, it’s important to understand that you could deserve any of the above damages. Speak to an attorney ASAP to find out if this is the case.
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