Personal Injury Lawsuits: What Types Of Monetary Damages Can Be Pursued?

If you have suffered any type of harm following an accident caused by another person, it may be possible to file a personal injury lawsuit against them and recover monetary damages for the harm caused. The types of monetary damages that you can seek in a lawsuit will depend solely on your individual case. Here are just a few of the damages you may be able to successfully recover:

Past, Current and Future Medical Expenses

Probably the most common in personal injury lawsuits, medical expenses from hospital stays, doctor fees, ambulance fees, emergency room treatment, etc. can all be pursued. You will be required to show proof of these expenses and how they directly relate to your injury in order to be compensated for them in a settlement. If the injury is serious enough that you will require long-term medical care, you can also pursue financial compensation to cover those expenses as well.

Lost Wages/Loss of Earning Capacity

Another common damage that is often sought after is lost wages. This is money that is lost from being unable to work due to the injury caused by the accident. It is money that would have been earned had the injury not occurred. The amount that you are awarded, if any, will be based on previous weeks of pay.

In addition to lost wages, you may be able to sue for loss of or diminished earning capacity. This would take effect when you are unable to earn the same amount of money in the future as you were before the accident as a result of the injuries that you sustained. For example, if your job requires that you do a lot of lifting or requires significant use of your arms and the accident resulted in permanent disability of the shoulder, you will probably be unable to perform the same job duties at the same level of quality.

Disfigurement/Mental Anguish

After an accident, if someone is left disfigured or deformed in some way, such as with permanent scars, it may be possible to retrieve damages associated with such disfigurement. These are often mixed in with mental anguish since you will be under emotional distress due to the awareness of the scars. Mental anguish can also include any type of mental suffering, including fright, embarrassment, shock, anxiety, grief and mortification.

Every personal injury case is different, and the damages that will be pursued and retrieved will also vary. For that reason, you need to speak to an experienced personal injury attorney about your case to first ensure it has merit to file suit. A lawyer will be able to review the facts of your case and inform you of its strength—or lack of—and how much you may be able to retrieve in compensation. Contact a local law office that specifies in personal injury cases, such as Walz Law Office, for advice specific to your case.

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