4 Kinds of Damages You Can Seek in a Personal Injury Case
Personal injury lawsuits arise when someone is harmed intentionally or accidentally by another party. That harm can be caused by a business or individual.
Personal injury cases are civil lawsuits. When financial or intangible losses occur because of a person’s injuries at the hands of another party, victims are entitled to seek compensation.
In a personal injury case, compensation is referred to as damages. There are four primary types of damages that victims can seek. We’ll explore each of these categories below.
- Financial Damages
Financial damages in a personal injury lawsuit are those that have a direct monetary impact on the victim as well as the victim’s family. These include but are not limited to:
- Loss of income
- Loss of future earning potential
- Medical care costs
- Future medical or recovery needs
If someone is in a car accident, for instance, there will often be direct financial implications. Even mild accidents can incur costs from emergency room visits or time taken off of work for recovery.
- Non-Economic Damages
Personal injury cases might also have intangible damages that do not have an immediate and obvious financial impact.
Examples of non-economic include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement and disability
- Quality of life changes
Someone who is bitten by a dog may be disfigured for the rest of their life. So this may cause them to become less social, stop pursuing a specific career, and may even put them into a deep depression.
- Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are rarely awarded. A judge may order punitive damages to punish the offender and dissuade them from doing similar things in the future. These types of damages can also help to hold up the offender as an example and discourage others from engaging in the same activities.
Punitive damages may apply in personal injury cases. Suppose that a dog owner is unable to control their animal, even though it has a history of biting others and causing harm. The judge may award punitive damages because the owner failed in their duty to protect others, even after knowing their pet was dangerous.
- Wrongful Death and Settlements
When negligence or intention results in death, the victim’s family can seek monetary and non-monetary damages.
A wrongful death case can be put forward by the surviving family members when someone is killed because of the wrongful actions of another party.
Suppose that a doctor rushed through their exam, and so he missed something important that they could reasonably have been expected to find. The family could file a wrongful death case to seek the damages that the deceased person would have pursued if they had survived.
Getting the Compensation You Deserve
Harlan Law Firm specializes in helping our clients to pursue the compensation they deserve. If you’ve been injured, contact us today for a free consultation.
Serving Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA