Understanding Personal Injury Non-Economic Damages
If you've been hurt by another driver, you may be entitled to economic and non-economic damages. These two damage categories both represent money for accident victims To find out more about the way these two compensation categories are different, read below.
Economic Damages
When you hear the word damages in relation to a car accident, they are not referring to the damage to your vehicle. "Damages" is a catch-all word that covers all the ways you've been affected by the accident, from time missed from work to medical bills and beyond. Economic damages have a specific dollar figure attached to them. For example, you may have missed 10 days of work and are owed exactly $1,648 for that. Other economic damages include personal property losses, medical expenses, transportation expenses, and your wrecked vehicle. You might want to consider economic damages the same thing as fixed expenses.
Non-Economic Damages
Not all accident issues are tangible. Not only are non-economic damages a part of almost all personal injury cases, but they also often make up the highest financial part of a settlement. Non-economic damages encompass the general way an accident has affected you. They are often made up of how the trauma of the accident has caused you to not only suffer from painful physical injuries but also from the emotional and mental suffering that can result from an accident.
Pain and Suffering Damages and Compensation
In most cases, non-economic damages are called pain and suffering. In some accidents, however, you might also find the need for psychological trauma and loss of consortium in addition to pain and suffering. Pain and suffering is based, in part, on your medical treatment costs. Serious physical injuries that result in thousands of dollars of medical bills often cause a great deal of pain and suffering. Also, the degree of mental and emotional damage suffered by an accident victim is correlated to a factor. The more mental issues you exhibit, the higher the factor. The factor is used to multiply the medical expense category to arrive at a settlement offer.
Are You Eligible for Non-Economic Damages?
Mental issues are just as bad, if not worse, than physical injuries and this category pays victims accordingly. Naturally, it's more difficult to prove mental health issues and the connection to the accident. Take the following steps to ensure you are paid what you deserve:
- Speak to a personal injury lawyer and have your accident case evaluated.
- Keep a journal that tracks the day-to-day struggles after the accident.
- Think about ways the accident has changed your life and write them down.
- Be alert to sleeping, eating, mood changes, depression, anxiety, and more, and seek therapy from a professional.
To find out more, speak to a personal injury lawyer.
