Personal Injury Claim: What Damages Can Be Recovered?

Accidents could be devastating, and one could suffer physical, emotional, and financial losses. If someone else caused your accident, you might be able to file a personal injury claim to receive compensation for your losses. These losses include medical bills, lost wages, or intangible damages such as emotional distress.

You must understand the damages you are entitled to during this process. This will improve your chances of receiving the highest compensation and help you recover fully from the accident. A Douglasville injury attorney will assist you with everything you need during your injury claim.

Types of Damages You Can Recover in a Personal Injury Claim

You are entitled to the following types of damages when you file a personal injury lawsuit:

Economic Damages

Economic damages are those that are clearly defined, measurable and traceable. They are usually a direct result of the accident that caused your injuries. For example, you may have receipts, invoices, or bills relating to your accident. These monetary expenses are seen as economic losses.

Common examples of economic damages are:

  • Medical Bills

You must include medical bills associated with your accident in your personal injury claim. These costs include operations, hospital stays, doctor visits, and prescription drugs. Also, add the amount for medical care, including the past, present, and future treatments related to the accident, pharmacy receipts, and other healthcare costs.

  • Property Damage

These are the compensation for any vehicles, clothing, or other personal belongings damaged due to the accident. For instance, if you were involved in an automobile accident, you may be able to get compensation to pay for vehicle replacement or repairs. You have to prove the loss of each item and the market value with the help of photographs, repair invoices, and receipts.

  • Income Losses

Income loss is defined as compensation for the work wages you lost and the money you would have been able to earn in the future if not for the accident. Many accident victims are forced to miss work while they recover.

You can request compensation for lost wages as part of your personal injury claim, even if you used sick or vacation days while recovering. You can prove the total value of your lost wages by presenting records like pay stubs, timesheets, or salary details.

  • Cost of Household Services 

You can file a claim for compensation for the cost of household expenses if your injuries prevent you from completing the home chores that you did before the accident. You may be compensated, for instance, if you cannot take care of your children as you formerly did and must now hire someone to do so.

  • Legal Expenses

Legal fees are the costs incurred in filing a personal injury lawsuit, such as the cost of the attorney’s services, travel expenses, lost wages, etc.

  • Cost for Change of Plans

After a tragic accident, many people’s lives are put on hold. This could result in abruptly canceling expensive arrangements like a holiday vacation and losing the money already spent. Therefore, you can receive compensation for the cost of changing your plans.

Non-Economic Damages

These damages refer to intangible losses incurred by the victim. Calculating non-economic damages is often difficult because there are no receipts or invoices, unlike economic losses.

However, you can seek damages for these non-economic losses with the assistance of a knowledgeable Douglasville injury attorney. Non-economic losses you can pursue are:

  • Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering refer to extreme discomfort or bodily anguish that developed either during the collision or immediately afterward. It covers any future or presents suffering that can also be linked to the accident.

You deserve to be compensated for the pain and suffering you’ve experienced due to your injuries, both physically and mentally. When evaluating the amount of pain and suffering, some factors to consider are the severity of the injuries, your age, the extent of your economic losses, and any potential long-term effects of the event.

  • Emotional Distress

This is the psychological damage suffered by the victim due to their injuries, including anxiety, fear, and lack of sleep. Your mental health may suffer significantly as a result of a terrible injury. Other mental conditions or post-traumatic stress disorder may surface, and you can receive a settlement for them.

  • Loss of Enjoyment of Life

If you sustained injuries that prevent you from participating in daily activities and hobbies, the law allows you to get compensated.

  • Physical Impairment

Some injuries can make an accident victim disfigured or impaired and leave a permanent and irreversible mark on their life. The amount of compensation is determined by the injury’s type, severity, and duration. Such injuries include visible scarring, paralysis, brain damage, etc.

  • Loss of Companionship

Sometimes, an injury may deprive a spouse of the love, care, and attention the accident victim provided before the accident. A spouse may seek compensation for this loss.

Punitive Damages

Juries rarely award punitive damages to personal injury victims. These damages are not meant to compensate the victim but to punish the defendant.

Punishments are only applied to offenders who engaged in conduct regarded to be so careless or risky that it was seen as an indication of malice or a deliberate disrespect for the rights, safety, and health of others.

For example, the jury may impose punitive damages on product manufacturers if they knew of a latent or design defect in their products and went ahead to sell them without warning the public. In addition, a habitual drunk driver who causes an accident may also pay punitive damages.

How Much Can a Douglasville Injury Attorney Get You as Damages? 

This is one question that most accident victims ask before commencing the compensation claims process. However, there is no exact figure for how much you can get. Instead, factors like the severity of your injury, the experience of your lawyer, the presence of a comparative fault, etc., determine your compensation.

Contact a Douglasville Injury Attorney Today!

It can be challenging to estimate the value of your case because there are so many types of damages you are qualified to receive. However, a skilled and experienced Douglasville, Georgia, personal injury lawyer can help you.

To ensure you are seeking the maximum amount in your injury claim, our Douglasville, Georgia, personal injury lawyer at Hartley, Rowe & Fowler, will assess your damages and ask for all you deserve. We will review your case and ensure you get the maximum compensation for your personal injury claim, including current and future damages. Call us or contact our office today to schedule your free consultation.

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