If you or somebody you care about has been injured due to the negligent or intentional actions of another person or entity, you may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. At the Ciccarelli Law Offices, our attorneys understand that these cases can become complicated. Here, we want to discuss what kind of expenses you can claim as damages in your personal injury case.
Special Damages
There are various types of compensation that may be available to a person in the aftermath of sustaining a serious personal injury. Not every case is the same, and the total amount of compensation awarded will depend on the specific factors related to each particular case. However, listed below are most of the common expenses that can be claimed as damages for a personal injury case:
- Medical bills related to the injury
- Transportation mileage to and from medical visits
- The costs of medication and medical supplies (braces, wound supplies, crutches, wheelchair, etc.)
- Lost income or benefits a person sustains if they are unable to work
- Personal property value (i.e. cell phone or prescription glasses damaged during the incident)
In general, a person will be subject to claiming only expenses that are considered “reasonable and necessary.” For example, if a doctor says that an injury victim can return to work after two weeks, but the person still does not feel well and stays home for an additional week, they may not be able to recover compensation for lost wages for that additional week because they were deemed physically able to return to work before that.
General Damages
The damages mentioned above are considered “special damages,” meaning that they generally have exact monetary values that can be assigned to them after analyzing bills or receipts. However, personal injury victims may also be entitled to “general damages” that do not have an exact monetary value. The following can be considered general damages that a personal injury victim may be awarded:
- Pain and suffering damages
- Loss of personal enjoyment damages
- Mental anguish damages
Finally, punitive damages may be awarded in a personal injury case. These damages are meant strictly to punish the defendant (the alleged negligent party) in the case rather than to compensate the plaintiff. However, punitive damages are only awarded in cases in which the defendant was found to be egregiously negligent or intentionally committed the actions that caused harm to the plaintiff.
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If you or somebody you love has sustained an injury due to the negligent or careless actions of another party, contact the team at the Ciccarelli Law Offices today. Our attorneys have the experience and resources necessary to conduct a full investigation into your case so we can obtain all of the types of compensation we mentioned above. We are not afraid to take on aggressive insurance carriers or at-fault parties. When you need a Philadelphia personal injury attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation or by calling 215.228.0100.