What Kind of Damages Can I Get In a Personal Injury Case?
Updated: May 11, 2022
Being involved in a car accident is an unexpected and frustrating event. Afterward, you may be wondering who will take care of the expenses that you unfairly incurred as a result of someone else’s misconduct and recklessness. Thankfully, under Florida personal injury laws you are able to recover compensation from the liable party whose negligence led to the accident and your injuries. Not all personal injury attorneys share the same practice areas, so make sure that you hire an attorney who specializes in the type of injury you suffered, like product liability cases or motor vehicle accidents or premises liability cases.
Economic Damages
The first type of compensation that you can receive from your personal injury claim are economic damages. These are financial losses that you have suffered as a result of the accident. They include:
The ambulance bill
Your emergency room visit
Your hospital stay
Diagnostic testing in the hospital, such as x-rays or MRI‘s
Medications provided in the hospital or prescribed for you to take at home
Any required surgeries
Any follow-up medical visits that are required
Physical therapy and rehabilitation
You can provide copies of your bills, invoices or receipts as evidence of the medical expenses related to your injuries. The good news is that when you are working with a personal injury attorney who has many years of experience, they fight to have all of your medical expenses covered by the liable party’s insurance company.
Accident injuries can vary from mild to severe, depending on the accident and the impact or force that was thrust upon the victim. Traumatic brain injuries, whiplash, spinal cord injuries, cuts and lacerations, broken bones and burns are some of the most common types of accident injuries that can take months or years to heal from and cause the victim undue suffering.
Lost Wages
If your injuries prevented you from working immediately after your accident or if you continue to be unable to work, then you can also recover lost wages. Your employer can provide your salary or hourly wage information to your attorney who will then use that information to fight for you to receive compensation for your lost wages. If the accident renders you unable to work, then you can file for future lost earning potential.
Other Losses
An accident affects your entire life from your ability to work to your ability to simply go to the grocery store or pick up your kids from school. You can recover miscellaneous financial losses related to your accident including child care, car repairs or replacement, transportation expenses and other costs that you have receipts or invoices for.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages compensate victims for their pain and suffering after a car accident. Accidents are emotionally disturbing events that can lead to lifelong physical impairment and trauma. The accident may have affected your family life and your personal relationships, or even your feelings about yourself.
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Your Settlement Amount
Adding up all of your economic damages is straightforward, but calculating your non-economic damages is much more difficult. A personal injury attorney advocates for their client to receive maximum compensation by proving how much the individual has suffered physically and emotionally due to the liable party’s negligence. Talk to a personal injury attorney right away about your case.