If you have sustained injuries in an accident because of another party’s negligence, you may be wondering how much monetary compensation you can recover through an injury claim. First, you should know this amount depends on your unique situation. While averages for settlements and verdicts can range from thousands to millions of dollars, results can still vary. However, the seriousness and extent of your damage play an important part when calculating your possible compensation. You can click here to learn more about this. To know how much to expect from your personal injury claim, here are the damages you must consider:
Economic Damages
These damages refer to the losses that cost you a certain amount. These include the following:
- Medical expenses. These include the cost of hospitalization, ambulance service, medical treatment, surgery, and other related expenses. When calculating your medical expenses, you should consider your immediate and long-term expenses such as therapy and rehabilitation.
- Lost wages. In general, serious accidents result in time missed from work, which means lost income for you. Thankfully, a personal injury claim can help you get compensated for these losses.
- Lost earning capacity. A serious injury may leave you unable to earn an income for a long time. Sometimes, you may need to change your career because of your injury. A reliable attorney can calculate your immediate lost income and the wages you would have earned in the future. They will confer with your doctor and vocational experts to determine how your injuries affect your ability to perform your job.
Non-economic Damages
These damages don’t directly relate to your monetary losses. Because of this, they can be harder to calculate. But they are legitimate losses. You and your lawyer must take into account the full extent of your losses. Non-economic damages include the following:
- Pain and suffering. Although treating severe injuries are usually expensive, there is more to the financial effects and ramifications. Accident victims can also sustain pain and suffering because of their injuries. Usually, serious injuries lead to chronic pain. Also, they can affect emotional well-being.
- Mental anguish. Aside from physical pain, you can also suffer from long-lasting emotional distress. Following a serious accident, you can suffer depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Thankfully, you can be compensated for this type of suffering.
- Loss of consortium. This refers to the effects of your injury on your relationship with your spouse or partner. The accident may result in long-term, difficult consequences on your relationship such as loss of spousal services and physical intimacy.
