Compensation collected in a personal injury settlement is also known as damages, and the amount of damages awarded vary on a case-by-case basis. The personal injury attorneys at The Law Offices of Peter Angelos explain how much your personal injury case may be worth here.
Personal Injury Damages Vary Depending on Your Case
Most individuals seeking compensation in a personal injury case need to collect damages in order to cover financial expenses that are a result of their injuries, whether they are physical, mental, emotional or otherwise. Unfortunately, calculating how much you can recover in a personal injury case is not simple and depends on a variety of factors surrounding the details of your case. Generally, however, personal injury cases fall into one of two categories: compensatory and punitive.
Compensatory Damages
Most personal injury cases are considered compensatory, as the injured member, or plaintiff, desires compensation to cover expenses required for physical and emotional rehabilitation. Various types of compensatory damages include medical treatment, lost income, emotional distress, pain and suffering and property loss. Most personal injury damages are collected to cover the costs of medical treatment, as victims of personal injury may require expensive medical treatments that add up over time. Income damages can also be collected if your injuries have affected your ability to make a living. Emotional distress, loss of enjoyment and loss of consortium can be collected to relieve the impact of emotional damage on the plaintiff’s relationships and quality of life. Pain and suffering damages can be collected if the plaintiff experiences chronic, ongoing pain due to the negligence they suffered.
Punitive Damages
While less common, victims of personal injury may collect punitive damages as a result of their personal injury case. Punitive damages are awarded in the event that the defendant is deemed significantly careless or reckless. While the intent of most compensatory cases is to compensate the plaintiff for damages they suffered, punitive damages place an emphasis on punishing the defendant for their egregious actions. Most punitive cases have a cap on how much the plaintiff can be awarded, however, since many damages awarded in major punitive cases can reach tens of millions of dollars.
Personal Injury Damages Can Result in Economic or Non-Economic Damages
As a result of a personal injury case, the plaintiff can be awarded either economic or non-economic damages. Economic damages are monetary and can be calculated, and examples of economic damages include property damage, medical expenses and lost income. Non-economic damages can be harder to calculate as it is difficult to place a monetary value on emotional distress that can be a result of impactful personal injury events. Non-economic damages can help alleviate the victim’s emotional and mental pain that is a result of acquiring injuries due to an individual’s negligence, and it is advisable to speak to an experienced attorney, such as the personal injury attorneys at The Law Offices of Peter Angelos, who can deduce how much in damages you may receive based on the specifics of your case.
Speak with a Personal Injury Attorneys at The Law Offices of Peter Angelos
While you cannot place a monetary value on personal injury, the attorneys at The Law Offices of Peter Angelos have been representing victims of pain and suffering for decades and can provide you legal counsel to help you receive the compensation you need to cover expenses. While the amount of damages you can recover in a personal injury case varies based on the logistics and severity of your case, the experienced attorneys at The Law Offices of Peter Angelos may be able to help estimate your total damages after evaluating the details of your case. If you or a loved one is a victim of negligence and seek compensation for physical or emotional injuries, do not hesitate to contact The Law Offices of Peter Angelos today.