What Damages Can I Recover in My Car Accident Case?
If you’re involved in a serious car accident in Peachtree Corners and it was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may have a claim for compensation. Understanding how these cases work and what damages you can recover helps you get the right amount of damages so that you aren’t left paying out of pocket for losses that aren’t your fault. Call Bridger Law Group at (404) 482-3330 for a free consultation today.
The most common damages in these types of cases include the following:
Economic Damages
Economic damages are the financial losses you suffer because of an accident or injury. These are the losses that can generally be measured in an objective way with documents like bills, invoices, estimates, and paystubs. This category is meant to reimburse you for the measurable costs caused by someone else’s actions.
Medical Expenses
This includes payment for ambulance rides, hospital bills, surgeries, doctor visits, prescription medications, rehabilitation, and any other treatment you have needed due to the injury. It also covers anticipated future treatment costs that result from the accident.
Lost Wages
If your injury made it so you couldn’t go to work, you can seek the amount of money you would have made during your recovery period. This covers pay lost from time off until you can go back to work.
Lost Earning Capacity
If your injuries lower your ability to earn a living going forward, maybe forcing you into lower-paid work or preventing future promotions, you can recover for the decreased earning power you now possess.
Property Damage
Economic damages also include money for repairing or replacing items damaged in the accident, such as your car, phone, bike, or any other personal belongings involved.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages pay you for harms that don’t have a clear dollar value but deeply affect your life after an accident. These are subjective losses, but courts recognize that your wellbeing and daily happiness matter, even if there’s no receipt.
Pain and Suffering
Compensation for pain and suffering includes the physical pain, discomfort, and limitations you experience due to your injuries. This applies to the pain you experience during your recovery as well as any long-term or chronic pain.
Emotional Distress
These damages cover anxiety, depression, fear, sleep problems, or trauma that come from the accident or its aftermath.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
Sometimes an injury interferes with activities that used to be enjoyable, like sports or just spending time with your family. You can collect monetary compensation to try to make up for these losses.
Loss of Consortium
This covers the losses faced by your spouse or family for the changes in your relationship, companionship, affection, or support since the accident happened.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are awarded in rare cases, and they are not meant to reimburse you for specific losses. Their goal is to punish the defendant for particularly egregious behavior and act as a deterrent for them and others in the future. T
These damages are only awarded when you can show by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with willful misconduct, malice, fraud, wrongful intent, or extreme disregard for safety.
(b) Punitive damages may be awarded only in such tort actions in which it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant’s actions showed willful misconduct, malice, fraud, wantonness, oppression, or that entire want of care which would raise the presumption of conscious indifference to consequences.
(c) Punitive damages shall be awarded not as compensation to a plaintiff but solely to punish, penalize, or deter a defendant.
The exact type and amount of damages you can recover will depend on many different aspects of your case. To get a better idea of what to expect, reach out to our team today to schedule a free consultation with a proven personal injury attorney in Peachtree Corners, GA.
