If a person files a personal injury case, they may be entitled to fair compensation. This compensation could help the victim afford certain financial losses as a result of a motor vehicle accident, medical malpractice, slip-and-fall accident or premises liability.
To recover maximum compensation from a personal injury claim, victims need to understand what type of damages they can seek. Economic and non-economic damages are two types of losses that can be recovered from a personal injury case. Economic damages are actual financial losses that can be assessed with bills and receipts. Non-economic damages are intangible losses that may be awarded based on a person’s emotional distress.
Here are a few types of economic and non-economic damages:
Medical bills
Medical bills are considered economic damages. The victim may be given bills for their medical care. These bills may include transport in an ambulance, time spent in a medical facility, food, medicine, use of medical equipment, therapy and medical treatments.
Repair costs
Another type of economic damage includes repair costs for property damage. The victim may seek damages for the repair of a vehicle or personal items damaged in a wreck, for example.
Lost wages
The victim could seek economic damages for any lost wages related to the injury. An injury may have left a victim debilitated and unable to work. As a result, they may have lost the ability to earn a meaningful income, which is responsible for paying debts, rent, utility bills and other financial obligations.
Funeral bills
Sometimes, people don’t survive a personal injury, so their loved one may seek to recover economic damages for related costs. The victim’s loved ones may be awarded damages for the cost of burial or cremation and reasonable funeral expenses.
Pain and suffering
Non-economic damages can be awarded to the victim for long-term disabilities, depression, emotional distress and the loss of companionship.
Legal guidance can help victims understand the damages that they could recover from a successful personal injury claim.