What Damages Can You Claim In Personal Injury? 

Accidents have been the primary reason behind several people’s injuries. Depending on the accident, the severity of an injury can increase or decline. However, you must seek immediate medical attention after encountering any injury. 

Most accidents give rise to a personal injury case. Individual injury cases are likely compensated by the insurance company or the defendant who caused the incident. The compensation can account for medical charges, hospital travel charges, property damages, etc. 

Knowing what type of damages you can claim in a personal injury case will be beneficial. You should consult a lawyer and ask them any questions about personal injury to maximize your compensation chances. 

Types of damages you can claim in a personal injury case: 

  • Economic damages 

Economic damages are generally associated with victims seeking to recover financial losses related to the injury. Such types of damages are meant to help the victim by relieving the financial burden resulting from the injury. 

The compensation for economic damages will be calculated based on several factors. It will be ideal for the victim to hire a personal injury to increase their odds of winning compensation focused on economic damages. Below are some of the most common types of monetary damages: 

  • Loss of income 
  • Cost of living with a disability due to the injury 
  • Medical expenses
  • Property damages 
  • Funeral costs in case of someone’s death 
  • Personal care costs 
  • Non-economic damages 

Unlike economic damages, non-economic damages are difficult to assign a monetary value. Non-economic damages generally involve compensation for the pain and suffering encountered by the victim. Non-economic damages are less tangible than economic damages.

Below are the common types of non-economic damages you can expect when filing for a personal injury: 

  • Loss of companionship
  • Loss of reputation
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Mental distress 
  • Pain and suffering

Insurance companies take significant time to assign a value to non-economic damages. However, there is no guarantee that the victim will get fair compensation for non-economic damages. In such cases, hiring a lawyer will become necessary. 

  • Punitive 

Punitive damages are generally awarded to the victim to punish the defendant for criminal conduct. For a victim to get punitive damages, they must prove the defendant’s reckless or malicious actions. 

Similarly, such damages are not primarily focused on compensating the victim for their losses but rather on stopping the defendant and others from partaking in illegal activities. You should check with your insurer, as most insurance companies do not cover punitive damages in their policies.