If you have filed a personal injury claim or lawsuit, you can claim various types of damages. These damages include economic, non-economic, and punitive damages. While it is easy to determine economic and punitive damages, it is quite challenging to know how much to value non-economic damages. Insurance companies and personal injury attorneys use different methods, such as the multiplier method to determine these damages.
Non-economic damages are awarded in addition to economic damages. They are awarded to victims or their loved ones to help cope with the accident’s effects. The amount will depend on the severity of the injuries, loss, or any other harm to the victim or their family.
Pain and Suffering
Pain is a result of any physical injury. Pain and suffering damages are awarded to a victim to compensate them for the physical pain they had to endure because of the injuries. Recovering only your medical expenses cannot compensate you for the pain.
This damage can be justified by your doctor, physical therapist, or your medical records. This is why it is important to share with your doctor all you are going through after an accident.
Mental and Emotional Anguish
Mental and emotional injuries are also equally devastating. Some can be even tougher to deal with than physical pain. There are mental and emotional injuries that might require you to see a psychologist to recover. Personal injury victims experience mental and emotional anguish because of what they have gone through. These damages compensate the victim for any of the following:
- Stress
- Fear
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Trauma
- Grief
- Worry
- Other psychological distress that results from the accident or injuries
Disfigurement and Physical impairment
If you have permanent injuries, scars, or have lost a limb from the accident, you can claim disfigurement and physical impairment damages. These damages are awarded because the injuries will change the rest of your life. Your attorney will use your medical records to justify these damages and prove how your life has been affected.
Humiliation and Reputation Damage
Accidents can change your social status. It can destroy your professional and personal reputation. Your attorney can also claim such negative effects as part of your non-economic damages.
Loss of Consortium or Enjoyment
When you sustain injuries after an accident, you may have a hard time doing the things that you used to do before. This can include pursuing your hobbies, playing with your children, cooking for your family, or more. If the accident caused a permanent injury, you would never be able to participate in some activities ever again.
Loss of consortium or enjoyment can include any of the following:
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of sexual relations due to the spouse’s impaired sexual function
- Loss of emotional support
- Loss of expressed love
- Loss of services, for example, domestic services
- Loss of counsel
These damages can be claimed by the victim’s spouse or their children. The damages can also be claimed in a wrongful death lawsuit. Serious injuries affect the way a victim used to live with their family member. To claim, the family members have to define their relationship with the victim and how the injuries have affected their lives.
Every personal injury case is different. The settlement or award you get will depend on the injuries sustained and the accident’s effects on their social and professional life.
Talk to a Personal Injury Attorney
Arriving at the value of such claims is complicated. You will need an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you determine the damages you should claim and how much you should claim. If you have a personal injury claim, consult an attorney near you to ensure that your rights to file for a claim or lawsuit are protected.
