How Are Personal Injury Damages Determined?
Individuals injured in car collisions, workplace accidents, or other events may find themselves needing to file a lawsuit in order to obtain compensation. But understanding how damages are assessed is not always immediately clear. There are different types of damages, after all.
Expenses, income loss, and pain and suffering can all be cited in a personal injury case as needs for damage recovery. Recovery will typically separate damages into two types, economic and non-economic. To learn more, discuss the facts of your situation with a Bucks County personal injury lawyer.
Economic Damages Include Expenses
When you think of the fixed costs of an injury, you are likely thinking of economic damages. These include the following costs.
- Medical procedures and treatments
- Prescription medication or other drugs
- Hospital stays and emergency room visits
- Surgeries and rehabilitation costs
- Mobility aids, such as wheelchairs
- Loss of income and reduced capacity to earn in the future
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Economic damages are expenses that a victim has already been billed for and has received an estimation of future costs. Damages that can be concretely proven with hospital bills, income reports, receipts, and expert testimony. Testimony is particularly helpful when it needs to be explained how the victim will be incurring future expenses.
When evaluating future wage loss, experts will likely calculate how much a person could have earned if they had not been injured in the accident or event. They could take a variety of factors into account, such as possible promotions and training opportunities. When a person is injured, it is possible they are not able to be as productive as they were before they were hurt. In other situations, an individual with a long-term disability in connection with an accident is not able to obtain employment at all.
Examples of Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages differ from economic damages, these damages point to compensating an individual for losses that are not tangible. This could include any or all of the following damages.
- Long-term physical pain
- Suffering and emotional distress
- Coping with physical health changes or disfigurement
- Inability to enjoy life
Non-economic damages are more subjective and can be difficult to place a financial number on because there are no invoices or documents attached to them. But, there are ways to secure damages for pain and suffering, distress that is abstract in nature.
Accident victims and their loved ones have a right to recover damages for financial loss, pain, and suffering. A Bucks County personal injury lawyer will work with you to secure compensation for economic and non-economic damages. Top attorneys have the knowledge and experience needed to be sure a victim is compensated for all they have endured.
Do you have questions about economic and non-economic damages? Contact a member of the legal team at Kevin L. Hand, P.C.. Our attorneys know how to secure the maximum settlement amount possible. Accidents happen every day. When they happen to you, it is essential you have a lawyer fighting for your rights. Reach out today, call 215-968-6602.