Types of Personal Injury Damages

Being injured in an accident can be life-changing. People who suffer through the experience may be left with severe injuries, ongoing medical care and extensive property damage. Understanding how to handle these outcomes can be overwhelming for many injured victims. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help those suffering from injuries recognize the types of personal injury damages that they may be eligible to receive.

Compensatory Damages

The most common damages for personal injury are compensatory damages, which are awarded to make up for the physical and financial losses suffered by the injured individual. These include, but are not limited to the following:

• Lost Wages
• Pain and Suffering
• Lost Opportunities
• Emotional Distress
• Property Damage
• Medical Bills

Court Costs

The defendant may be ordered to pay for the injured individual’s court costs, including process server fees, court transcriptions, filing fees, deposition transcriptions and translators’ fees.

Nominal Damages

Nominal damages may be awarded in cases where the injury does not call for monetary compensation, but the judge believes that the injured individual was victimized by the defendant. Although the injured victim in the case did not suffer from any significant losses, the judge may still wish to award a small dollar amount to indicate that a wrongful act has taken place.

Punitive Damages

In order to penalize the defendant for outrageous conduct in causing an accident which resulted in an injury to another person, punitive damages may be awarded. These types of personal injury damages are usually only granted in those cases that involved reckless conduct or gross negligence. A monetary amount is ordered to be paid to the victim and is often used as a deterrent for future negligence. Some states have a set maximum amount of punitive damages that can be awarded on certain types of injury claims, including medical malpractice.

In order to receive all of the compensation that a person suffering from injuries is entitled to, it is important that they partner with a personal injury attorney. To learn more about the types of personal injury damages or to schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney from Sloat & Nicholson, P.C., call 303-447-1144 now.