If you have been involved in an accident and sustain a personal injury in Richmond, VA there are several different types of damages you may be eligible to recover. Damages occur when someone’s negligence or intentional actions result in injury or harm to someone else. You may be able to recover damages for such things as loss of ability to earn income, medical bills, property damage, pain and suffering and even the loss of the ability to enjoy life. An experienced personal injury lawyer should be able to help you understand your right to compensation and what damages you are entitled to recover.
Generally, damages are classified as compensatory or punitive. Compensatory damages are awarded to the plaintiff to reimburse him or her for the financial burden they incurred due to the defendant’s negligence or intentional harm. This means, if you are involved in an accident through no fault of your own you may be entitled to seek recovery for all of the financial loss and/or emotional duress you endured as a result of the accident. The damages you are entitled to recover may be limited if you are partially responsible for your injuries.
The compensatory damages you may experience from a tort are usually categorized as general damages and special damages. General damages allow you to seek recovery for the non-monetary aspects of your injury or damages. This includes things such as pain and suffering, impaired ability to live as you did before your accident, loss of a loved one and loss of reputation. It is often difficult to quantify, or calculate, the monetary value of such losses. A personal injury lawyer should be able to help you determine the respective value of all your general damages based on state and federal laws in place to regulate and measure such things.
General damages may also include calculations of your loss of ability to enjoy life as well; these are called hedonic damages. Hedonic damages are calculated based on the value of human life and are highly contested in some states, as the value of human life is highly subjective and difficult to accurately and fairly calculate. Not all states will allow you to sue for hedonic damages. Therefore, it is important that you consult a personal injury lawyer from your state to see what types of damages you may pursue compensation for in court.
Special damages, on the other hand, allow you to seek recovery for the monetary expenses you accrued due to your injury or harm. Things like medical bills, lost wages and cost of repairing damaged property could be compensated to you under special damages. You should consult a Richmond personal injury lawyer to help you determine what types of damages you are eligible to recover.
