Personal Injury Law 101: Types of Damages

Sutton Law Group • November 6, 2020

Many of us don’t realize how much we rely on our bodies’ wellness until our health is taken away from us. When you’re injured, you lose so much more than you imagined was possible. Fortunately, if your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, it is often possible to get repaid financially for your damages (otherwise known as what you have lost). Though no amount of money can reverse the damage done, it can still help you feel like you’ve reached a fair outcome and gotten justice for what you’ve been through. In this blog post, we are taking a look at the types of damages that you may be able to recover in your personal injury case. In general, damages can be split into two categories: economic and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages

The plaintiff (the person who has been injured) in a personal injury case can recover financial losses caused by the injury. These are easier to measure than non-economic damages and can include:
Medical bills: From hospital bills to follow-ups with your general practitioner, medical debt is no joke. You can often collect the amount you spent as damages.
Lost wages: Did your injury keep you sidelined from your job? You can seek damages for the amount you would have earned if you were uninjured and continued working as usual. 

Non-Economic Damages

You may hear some people call non-economic damages “general damages.” By either name, this is the type of damages that includes less tangible losses. Let’s take a look at some examples:
Pain and suffering: From the excruciating feeling at the time of the initial injury to the nagging discomfort throughout recovery, you deserve to be compensated for the difficulty of what you have endured. This can also include the suffering caused by chronic pain you may be stuck with moving forward.
Humiliation and embarrassment: Do you feel disgraced and ashamed of what happened to you? Some injuries have a component of humiliation and embarrassment, which can be considered among your non-economic damages.
Disfigurement: This category can include scarring or loss of limb that impacts your ability to live the same kind of life moving forward as you did before you were injured.

Contact Sutton Law Group

At Sutton Law Group, we have extensive experience helping those who have been wrongfully injured get the justice they deserve. If you are ready to hold a negligent party responsible and collect damages, we are here to help. Contact our team today!

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