After a devastating car accident, you may wonder how will pay all the medical bills while you are out of work for your injuries.
A personal injury auto accident claim allows you to seek compensation for the financial, physical and emotional damages related to your accident.
Specific damages
Specific compensatory damages refer to your economic losses, including:
- Loss of income, including current and future lost wages, loss of earning capacity and loss of benefits
- Cost of medical bills, including the cost of future medical treatments, medical devices, medication and ambulance costs
- Cost of property damage, including repair or replacement
- Cost of transportation to treatment
- Costs associated with household help needed during recovery
These damages have an inherent monetary value. You can easily prove your claim using bills and estimates from the appropriate parties.
Non-economic damages
Non-economic damages are primarily psychological. They include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Depression and anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Loss of enjoyment
- Loss of companionship
These damages require quantification. Some potential forms of evidence used to prove non-economic damages include your written statement addressing the effect the accident and your injuries have on your life as well as statements from those closest to you in your life.
Exemplary damages
Exemplary damages, also known as punitive damages, do not compensate for any losses. Instead, the court may order the defendant to pay exemplary damages if their actions were grossly negligent. For example, driving while intoxicated or any other excessively reckless form of driving.
The damages in a car accident case vary depending on both the severity of the case and the losses sustained.
