What Type of Compensation is Available in a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
When you are injured in an accident caused by another’s negligent actions, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries through a personal injury lawsuit in Florida. There are many different forms of relief or compensation that may be available to you in your lawsuit, but what type of damages are available depends largely on the facts and circumstances surrounding your situation. Our Florida accident attorneys can help evaluate your case and determine what sort of compensation you may be entitled to through a Florida personal injury case.
Economic Damages
The most common type of compensation that is present in virtually every personal injury claim in the state of Florida is referred to as economic damages. These damages are for reimbursement of the out-of-pocket expenses that you have had as a result of the accident. Economic damages include lost wages, medical expenses, the costs of treating your injuries in the future, and the overall effect that your injuries will have on your earning capacity, if any. These expenses also include hospital bills, home health care expenses, and the costs of renting medical equipment, such as a hospital bed or a wheelchair. However, it is important to remember that even economic damages may not cover all of your expenses related to your personal injury claim.
Non-Economic Damages
On the other hand, non-economic damages compensation an injury victim for intangible losses resulting from the accident that led to your injuries. Pain and suffering that you have sustained as a result of your injuries is one common type of non-economic damages. Other types of non-economic or emotional damages include loss of consortium, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, anxiety, and depression stemming from the accident and/or your injuries. While this type of damages is far more difficult to see and to place a value on, emotional distress can be a basis for damages in some personal injury lawsuits. However, Florida has adopted the “impact rule,” which generally requires that there be accompanying physical damages for claims of emotional distress damages.
Punitive Damages
Whether you are entitled to punitive damages in a personal injury lawsuit depends primarily on the conduct of the negligent party that led to the accident causing your injuries. If the defendant’s behavior went beyond negligence to gross negligent or intentional misconduct, a jury might award punitive damages in order to send the message that your community will not condone such actions. However, punitive damages are not available in many cases; they are rarely awarded in personal injury cases.
Salazar & Kelly Law Group, P.A., is Here to Help You
When you sustain injuries in an accident that is caused by another’s negligence can be devastating for you and your family. Aside from medical concerns, you may lack the income that is necessary to pay your steadily mounting medical bills and support your family, due to your inability to work, perhaps for a prolonged period of time. At Salazar & Kelly Law Group, P.A. in Kissimmee, we know how to help you during these difficult times and take some of the burden from you. Allow us to focus on resolving your legal matters, while you focus on recovering from your injuries. Call our office at 407-483-0500 today and schedule an appointment at one of our office locations today.
