Personal injury encompasses a lot of different things, from workers’ compensation claims to slip and falls and car accidents. Because of the vast number of personal injury lawsuits, many people are unsure exactly how much their specific case is worth and how serious the claim actually is. Overall, the severity of a claim comes down to the damages involved. If you were severely injured or your property was greatly damaged, your case will hold a lot more weight than an accident that left victims with scrapes and bruises. But damages don’t just include injuries. Below, we look at the types of damages that a personal injury lawsuit covers.
Injuries & Medical Treatments
The most common, and often most important, type of damage a personal injury lawsuit will cover is your medical treatment. This includes not only the treatment you received after the accident occurred, but also any future treatments, medications or procedures you will need that relate to the accident.
Loss of Income
When you get injured, you often face injuries that leave you unable to work, either temporarily or permanently. If this happens, you should seek to collect compensation for the loss of income, or loss of earning capacity, that resulted because of the accident. This includes any income you lost while you recovered and any income you will lose in the future due to your injury.
Pain and Suffering
A personal injury accident, whether it was a car accident, a slip and fall or other type of accident, can be traumatizing and lead a victim down a painful path. If this happens to you, you can seek compensation for any pain you are left with after the accident ends. Pain and suffering is often hard to determine, so an experienced personal injury attorney is often needed.
Loss or Damage of Property
Did your car get totaled during the accident? Was your home, property or personal belongings ruined or damaged as a result of the accident? You should be able to collect compensation to either replace or repair these items.
Emotional Suffering
Many people suffer from emotional trauma after an accident. This can range from PTSD and increased anxiety to loss of sleep and fear. If you are suffering from emotional distress following an accident, you deserve to be compensated.
Loss of Life
Similar to emotional suffering, loss of life refers to the fact that after your injury, you lost interest in every day activities and no longer find joy in things you used to love, like taking a drive, going on long walks or spending time with others.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages come into play when the person who caused the accident was increasingly negligent in their actions. An example of this is a drunk driver. For the victim, punitive damages will come in the form of monetary compensation and often awarded to punish a defendant for their actions.
If you were involved in a personal injury case, you deserve to be compensated for everything you have suffered through. The attorneys at Stewart & Stewart know what it takes to get our clients what they deserve following an accident and are ready to help you too. For more information, give us a call at 1-800-33-33-LAW or visit our website for more information.