If you decide to file a personal injury claim in Hollywood or southern Florida after a car accident, medical malpractice situation, workplace injury, or any type of incident, your attorney may decide to pursue economic damages and non-economic damages on your behalf. In a lawsuit, economic damages cover the costs you have to face that come with a clear price tag. Economic damages cover things such as:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
- Transportation costs
- Property damage expenses
- Repair bills related to your accident
These costs are usually relatively easy to calculate. If you earn $40,000 a year, for example, and lose a year’s worth of work due to an injury, then you’ve lost about $40,000 of wages (or slightly more, if we account for possible promotions and overtime). If the hospital sends you a bill for $100,000, then it’s clear your hospital stay cost a hundred thousand dollars. You may have receipts or other paperwork to prove you have spent a specific amount of money on the economic losses associated with your injury.
The problem is that not all the losses you experience will come with a clear price tag or receipt. In fact, many of the worst effects of your injury – such as the pain and suffering you feel or the devastation of knowing you have a permanent injury and will no longer be able to work or support your family – don’t have a clear economic cost.
The general, non-tangible losses you have suffered as a result of your injury allow you to pursue what are known as non-economic damages. These are meant to replace all the added losses (above and beyond the added expenses) you have suffered.
Non-economic damages can include compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- The disability or injury itself
- Disfigurement or scarring
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of consortium (loss of your relationship with your spouse)
- Loss of companionship
- A reduction in the quality or enjoyment of your life
- Loss affecting your relationships or reputation
Obviously, trying to put a specific number on these types of issues can be a challenge. If you’ve suffered a permanent head injury, for example, and can no longer remember your child’s first steps and can no longer work, of course this is distressing. No one can argue with that. However, how much is that loss worth? In a way, no amount of money can compensate for the loss. On the other hand, it is the role of the courts to come up with a dollar figure to help compensate or start to compensate a victim for just these types of damages.
Non-economic damages are subject to caps and regulations to ensure that these amounts are paid out fairly. Working with a personal injury attorney in Hollywood or South Florida can ensure your attorney gathers evidence and proves exactly how much your injury has affected your life. This allows you to seek the fairest economic and noneconomic damages possible, so you can live the best life possible with your injury.
If you would like to speak to a personal injury attorney anywhere in South Florida about your injuries and about your claim, contact Flaxman Law Group for free accident consultation. Our team of compassionate attorneys understands how devastating a serious injury can be and we do all we can to provide you with the legal support or representation you need after your injury.