What Is Injury Compensation, and How Do You Claim It?

If you got hurt due to negligence or intentional, wrongful actions of another person, you could pursue a claim for damages. You could take the at-fault individual to court to receive compensation or settle out of court. If you settle out of court, it typically means the defendant offered you a payment amount that you accepted.

However, before proceeding, you should know the types of injury compensation available. This way, you will know the likely worth of your case and avoid being under-compensated.

Personal Injury Compensation Types

“The purpose of any personal injury claim is to be ‘made whole’ for losses experienced by someone else’s actions. However, depending on your case, you may get additional compensation beyond this,” as explained by the personal injury attorneys at Doroshow Pasquale Krawitz and Bhaya. 

Below are the different types of personal injury compensation that may be available to you:

Economic Damages

In addition to physical pain and injuries, something you may experience from someone hurting you is a financial loss due to medical bills, lost work hours, and more. Since the compensation you get for this comes as economic damages, it is quite simple to calculate. These damages include medical bills for the treatment of your injuries as well as future medical costs for more permanent injuries.

The wages you lost for being unavailable at work due to the injury also constitute economic damages. In addition, economic damages include future lost earnings if you can no longer work or cannot work as effectively because of the injury. Every out-of-pocket financial loss you experience due to the accident caused by the defendant’s negligence is compensated under economic damages.

Non-economic Damages

You also get compensated for losses you experience that do not necessarily bring money out of your pocket. These injuries affect your quality of life, including pain and suffering, emotional stress, mental anguish, or disfigurement. Loss of companionship and enjoyment of life are also compensated for under non-economic damages.

Punitive Damages

If the at-fault individual was intentionally harmful rather than negligent, you might get compensation for punitive damages. These are not designed to pay you for losses or make you whole; rather, their purpose is to punish the defendant for their actions against you. The court decides how much of this is levied.

Wrongful Death Damages

If a person gets killed due to someone else’s negligent or intentional wrongdoing, their estate or relatives are entitled to wrongful death damages. These damages cover medical bills incurred before the victim’s death, pain and suffering experienced before death, and funeral expenses. These damages can be difficult to calculate, but a personal injury attorney can help.

How Can You Obtain Personal Injury Compensation?

First, we recommend contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer immediately. They can start gathering evidence to help you prove liability and the extent of the loss you suffered. Once that is done, you have two options: settle out of court or move forward with a personal injury lawsuit.

Settlements tend to be easier, faster, and less risky than lawsuits because you know exactly how much you will get. However, it also means you are giving up future claims arising from the same incident. Thus, to ensure you receive the best possible deal, you must negotiate the settlement aggressively and think twice before accepting anything the insurer offers.

If a settlement is not working out, you can file court paperwork, but this must be within the statute of limitations. Considering the complicated nature of this, you will need the experienced help of a personal injury lawyer.

Conclusion

Personal injury compensation is available to victims of negligent or intentional wrongdoing of another person. Knowing the types of compensation available to you and how to claim them helps ensure you get the best deal possible.