What Are Compensatory Damages?

After an accident, you and your family are often faced with a lot of challenges. You may need medical care. You might have to inform your work that you need time off. Often, you may need to deal with both of these factors while also confronting underlying issues stemming from pain and suffering as a result of your accident. When you are engulfed in all of this, it can be difficult to focus on receiving the full amount of compensation you are entitled to as a result of your accident. This article will explain an overview of compensatory damages and how working with a personal injury lawyer can help you through a very challenging time. 

What Are Compensatory Damages?

While a personal injury lawyer can help explain in more detail, generally, compensatory damages can be described as a form of damages awarded to a plaintiff in civil court. The intent of compensatory damages is to award you with the amount of money that you lost due to an injury. This injury must have been caused by the negligence of another individual. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

Two Types: Special and General 

There are two types of compensatory damages: special damages and general damages. 

Special damages are economic losses that are quantifiable, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage. 

General damages are non-economic losses that are more difficult to quantify, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.

In both cases the intent is that you, as a victim of negligence, are entitled to the support you need. This support should allow you to be able to return to the state and quality of your life pre-accident. 

A personal injury lawyer, such as at  B|B Law Group, can help you recover both economic and non-economic compensatory damages. 

Who Is Entitled to Compensatory Damages?

In order to receive compensatory damages, you will need to prove that another party was at fault for your injuries. If you are successful in doing so, the other party may be required to pay for the damages you received as a result of the accident (whether immediate or potentially ongoing).

Following your accident, as soon as you are able to, you should reach out to a personal injury lawyer to discuss the potential compensation you are entitled to. 

How To Calculate Compensatory Damages

Compensatory damages are meant to reimburse you for your losses. To calculate them, you’ll need to consider both economic and non-economic damages. 

Economic damages include things like medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. It is important that you try your best to provide this information with your personal injury lawyer. This information could be medical bill receipts, job income statements, or other documents that can directly show the dollar amount of loss due to your accident.   

Non-economic damages are more difficult to quantify but may include things like pain and suffering, emotional distress, or loss of enjoyment of life. A personal injury lawyer can be crucial in helping you determine the amount you should seek here. 

Keep in mind that compensatory damages are meant to reimburse the victim, not punish the offender. Those would be considered punitive damages. So don’t get too carried away with the numbers. The goal is to make the victim whole again, not to put them ahead.

Conclusion 

Accidents can happen. As a victim, especially of another’s negligence, you are entitled to receive the support it takes. This support should help you return to your life before your accident. The support you receive can be classified as special or general compensation. Such support can range from medical bill expenses to pain and suffering. In order to receive the full support you should, it is important to contact a personal injury lawyer. 

Contact A Personal Injury Attorney Today 

If you have recently been involved in an accident, a personal injury lawyer may be able to help you receive compensatory damages. The attorneys at B|B Law Group have experience in litigation related to a wide-range of accidents. They are ready to work with you to answer your questions. Contact the B|B Law Group to schedule a consultation today.