When you or a loved one gets hurt in a car accident, it’s crucial to receive the medical attention you require. This is in addition to the rightful compensation for the financial losses brought on by your physical injuries. Even if you don’t consider submitting a claim, being aware of the various personal injury damages will significantly help in the future, especially if it has something to do with your financial preparation.
Various elements could affect the amount of compensation you are entitled to for each category. For instance, if your injuries were severe or long-lasting, your pain and suffering would probably be more essential, whereas property loss would not impact your life.
If you consult a personal injury law firm, you will know that understanding the various sorts of personal injury damages will help you determine how much your case is worth. An individual injury case may result in multiple forms of damages being awarded.
Suffering and pain
If you are hurt at work, you will be given the first sort of personal injury damage. The amount of compensation for this type of personal injury would vary depending on whether your injuries were severe or minor.
Plaintiffs seek two sorts of damages in all types of personal injury cases, including medical malpractice. Pain and suffering are the two types of damages.
Pain and suffering damages are intended to compensate a plaintiff for their pain due to another party’s carelessness or misbehavior. If a claimant has experienced various injuries, they will often benefit from receiving multiple awards of pain and suffering damages. The amount of money you can obtain for your injuries is determined by both pain and suffering. The jury will award you more money if they believe your injuries were painful or difficult to bear, but they will also consider how long it took you to return to work or school, how long it took you to participate in daily activities, and other factors when deciding how much compensation to award.
Emotional distress
Emotional distress is also called “mental anguish” or “mental suffering.” It can be caused by a person’s loss of control over their life, feelings of embarrassment and humiliation, anxiety, depression, loss of sleep, and other symptoms like those.
For those that have been subjected to extreme emotional or mental anguish, usually emotional distress damages are awarded that include depression, anxiety, irritability, and sleeplessness.
Here are some examples:
- Depression: Depression shortens lifespan by 12 years and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by 25%.
- Anxiety: Anxiety can lead to ulcers, headaches, insomnia, and other medical problems.
- Irritability: Irritability can lead to increased blood pressure and heart rate.
- Sleeplessness: Sleeplessness can lead to chronic pain, heart attack, and stroke in adults and children with autism spectrum disorders.
Physical impairment
The most common type of personal injury damage is physical impairment. Damages for physical impairment can include medical expenses, lost wages, or pain and suffering. The worker’s compensation laws also usually cover physical impairment damages.
Physical impairment damages can be awarded to compensate for various injuries and disabilities. Emotional distress, such as fear and anxiety, due to the accident may also be awarded if you are injured in an auto accident.
Your damages could include:
- Medical bills for treatment of your physical injuries.
- Pain and suffering caused by your accident.
- Physical impairment due to your accident.
- Loss of earning capacity because of your injury.
Physical impairment damages often include an award for medical expenses related to injuries that occurred during an accident or illness. Medical bills are usually paid first, followed by lost wages, pain, and suffering. You might also require rehab or equipment to help you recover from your injuries.
Property damage
Property damage is a type of personal injury that can be caused by negligence, recklessness, or intentional acts. If a person suffers damages to their personal property due to someone else’s negligence, then they may be able to seek compensation for their losses.
In most cases, property damage claims involve cars being hit by other vehicles on the roadways. Other common forms of property damage include:
- Objects were thrown from cars or trucks traveling at high speeds and hitting cars.
- Personal injury claims involve internal injuries or broken bones from accidents when a driver hits another vehicle or object while driving too fast for the conditions on the road.
- Property damage can occur when someone trips over a crack in the sidewalk or steps over an uneven patch of grass. Your auto insurance policy may not cover these incidents if you have comprehensive coverage only.
Lost Wages & Lost Earning Capacity
Most injuries are not life-threatening, but they can still leave you with a loss of income and can include lost wages and medical expenses. If you cannot work due to your injuries, your personal injury attorney will calculate how much money you will lose. This is called your lost wages. The less serious the injury, the more likely it is that you will be able to return to work in the near future. However, even minor injuries can lead to serious complications or permanent disability that may require long-term care and financial support from family members or caregivers.
Your employer may have to pay out compensation for lost wages due to an accident that happened at work. This could include payments for missed time off work and compensation for time spent training for your job. These payments can be made by either your employer or the person who caused the accident. If you’re injured on the job and cannot return to work, then your employer may be liable for lost earning capacity. This means that they’ll have to make up for any money you would have earned during this period if you could return to work.
Understanding the different types of personal injury damages
Damages are likely to be at the forefront of your mind if you have been harmed in an accident. However, it is critical to understand that numerous sorts of damages exist based on the type of harm you have incurred and how the event occurred. Although certain kinds of injury appear to be the same, they are not. Before proceeding with any accident, it is critical to consult with a personal injury law firm to ensure you receive proper compensation for your damage.
