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THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DAMAGES IN A PERSONAL INJURY ACTION

On Behalf of | Oct 10, 2017 | Personal Injury

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When you’ve been hurt because of someone else’s carelessness or negligence, some of your losses may be obvious while others are not as apparent. As a general rule, you’ll be able to file a personal injury action seeking two potential types of damages, or compensation for your losses-compensatory damages and punitive damages.

PUNITIVE DAMAGES

Punitive damages are only available if you can show a high level of negligence, such as gross negligence or indifference to the value of human life. Accordingly, punitive damages are rarely awarded in personal injury actions.

COMPENSATORY DAMAGES

Compensatory damages are designed to do exactly as the name suggests-compensate you for some type of loss cause by the accident. Compensatory damages are generally further subdivided into two categories: economic damages and non-economic damages:

  • Economic damages: Economic damages are monetary losses that are easy to ascertain, such as loss of income or wages, the cost of medical expenses, costs of retrofitting a home or vehicle to accommodate your loss or any other expense incurred directly or indirectly as a result of the accident. Any property loss would also be considered an economic loss.
  • Non-economic damages: Also known as “general compensatory damages,” non-economic losses cover such things as physical and emotional pain and suffering, mental stress or anguish, and loss of companionship or consortium

WRONGFUL DEATH CLAIMS

In addition to collecting the damages set forth above, wrongful death claimants can also recover funeral and burial expenses, loss of financial support/contribution, and loss of services/support.

CONTACT THE PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS AT MALLON & TRANGER

We offer a free initial consultation to anyone who has suffered a needless injury. To set up a meeting, contact us online or call us at 732-702-0333 (toll free at ) for an appointment. We have offices in Freehold and Point Pleasant.