Personal injury cases extend beyond car accidents. Sure, you could get wounds from a road accident due to the recklessness of another driver. Nevertheless, that is not the only case. You can file for a personal injury claim after a dog bite, medical malpractice, or due to injuries incurred by other people. The aim of a personal injury claim is to hold the person at fault responsible and get compensated due to the damages. Therefore, a Waukegan personal injury attorney assesses the kind of injuries you incur and helps you conclude if you are eligible for compensation. Here are the sorts of damages in a personal injury case.
Personal injury damages are divided into three classes:
Economic Damages
Economic damages are the damages that involve the expenses, costs, and financial losses you incur after the accident. Some of the costs included in economic damages are:
- Medical Expenses
After the accident, you will require medical care. The cost of care will depend on the extent of the damages and the hospital you go to. Examples of such expenses include ambulance costs, surgery, hospitalization, diagnosis tests like x-rays and lab tests, physical therapy, medical equipment, and provisions. Therefore, when filing your case, you will need to include all the expenses you go through. This is why it is always advisable to seek medical help immediately after the injury and keep records of all medical details.
- Income Loss
This is another category accounted for in economic damages. If you can no longer work or your position is given to someone else during treatment, then you have a case. Loss of income includes ages, bonuses, salaries, employment benefits, or a reduction on your salary. If you lose other opportunities to make income after the injury, you can file them as loss of income.
Other types of damages in this category may include travel expenses when seeking medical care, in-home care, vehicle or home modification expenses, and long-term medical care. It is crucial to document your losses carefully to ensure you increase your chance of getting fully compensated for the damages.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages include those damages that don’t involve your finances. Mostly, pain and suffering damages are non-economic damages, and you are entitled to compensation. Such include
- Emotional distress
- Physical pain
- Permanent disability
- Psychological suffering like anxiety, PTSD, and depression
- Change in quality of life, and
- Disfigurement
Calculating non-economic damages is quite a challenge since you cannot put a value on how much one has suffered emotional distress or depression. However, a lawyer will help you maximize these damages by keeping a record of your suffering.
Punitive Damages
This is a rare category in personal injury cases. However, you can get compensated for punitive damages. This kind of damage is meant to punish the person who caused the injury due to negligence or DUI.
Conclusion
If you think you have suffered these damages, you have at least two years since the accident happened to file a lawsuit. A Waukegan personal injury lawyer will play a vital role in helping you record these damages and determine how much compensation you should get.
