ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Economic damages are objectively verifiable monetary losses. In other words, they are damages that can be proven, such as past and future medical expenses, loss of past and future earnings and loss of employment or business opportunities. For example, if you have a chiropractor bill for $3,000, that is the full-value economic damage for that injury, regardless of the pain and suffering you may have endured while sustaining that injury or while treating it down the road.
Medical Expenses
Reasonable and necessary medical expenses such as doctors, emergency room treatment, ambulance fees, radiology, chiros and more. A plaintiff must show that the expenses are related to medical conditions resulting from his or her injury.
Future Medical Expenses
Plaintiff proves that he or she will need continued medical care as a result of the accident or injury.
Lost Wages
Money a plaintiff would have earned from the time of the injury to the date of settlement or judgment had the accident not occurred.
Lost Earning Capacity
Plaintiff proves that his or her ability to earn money in the future has been impaired or diminished by the injuries caused by the accident.
Household Services
Cost of hiring somebody to do things around the house while the plaintiff is recuperating from an accident or injury, provided that the expense would not have been incurred had the plaintiff not been injured.
NON-ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Non-economic damages are subjective, non-monetary losses. In other words, they are damages that are much more difficult to prove and come with a sliding scale of variables such as pain, suffering, inconvenience, emotional distress, loss of society and companionship, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life. For example, two people with the exact same injury may have very different claim amounts for non-economic damages, due to factors such as their lifestyle, pain tolerance, hobbies, and more.
PUNITIVE DAMAGES
Punitive damages refers to compensation for extreme types of negligence with hopes to prevent future intentional or reckless behavior or actions. Punitive damages are a separate category, since they’re not awarded to compensate for any loss. For example, two people in two different accidents may have sustained the same injuries and have the same medical bills, but the first person could be awarded additional punitive damages since they were hit by a drunk driver. It’s important to be mindful of all these factors when determining the full value of your case.