What Types of Compensation Are Available?
You’ve been hurt in an accident caused by someone else’s wrongful act. You have a right to file a lawsuit to recover compensation for all your losses. What does that include? What compensation can you expect to recover?
The Types of Damages Available in a Personal Injury Lawsuit
At the highest level, personal injury damages typically take the form of either compensatory damages or punitive damages. As a practical matter, punitive damages are extremely rare, granted only when a defendant’s actions are egregious or with reckless disregard for the value of human life.
Compensatory damages generally fall into two categories:
- Economic damages—These losses are generally tangible and easy to determine, and include:
- Loss of income or wages, as evidenced by prior earnings
- Any unpaid or unreimbursed medical expenses
- Any property damage or loss not covered by insurance
- Non-economic damages—These types of losses are less tangible and, therefore, more difficult to calculate. Common forms of non-economic damages that are typically awarded in personal injury cases include:
- Pain and suffering—Juries may award damages for physical and/or mental pain and suffering. A common approach is to determine the amount of economic damages and use a multiplier. For example, the jury may calculate $500,000 in economic damages and use a multiplier of two to assess $1,000,000 in damages for pain and suffering.
- Loss of companionship or consortium—These damages cover the loss of close or intimate relationships with family members due to an injury, including loss of guidance, affection and nurturing
- Loss of enjoyment of life—This covers the loss of the ability to engage in the ordinary acts of daily life, as well as any activities that brought joy, satisfaction or contentment before the accident
Contact the Cintron Firm
At the Cintron Firm, LLC, we offer more than 14 years of experience to people in New Jersey facing a broad array of legal challenges. Attorney Mark Cintron has worked as a prosecutor and has extensive courtroom experience, so he’s always ready, willing and able to protect your interests before a judge or jury. Contact our office online or call us at 201-791-1333 or (201) 535-0323 to set up an appointment.
