Are you Looking for a List of Damages You can Seek for Your Personal Injury Lawsuit?

A drunk driver crashes into you, totaling your car and putting you through months of recovery due to injuries. The giant hanging CLEARANCE! sign at a store falls on you while you are shopping, and you end up in the hospital. Your son’s new hoverboard catches on fire and burns him.

There are all kinds of situations where you might be able to sue someone for negligence if you are hurt – but is it worth it? What are you actually able to receive compensation for?

In personal injury lawsuits, compensation – or damages – falls into two general categories: punitive and compensatory. Punitive damages, however, are incredibly rare. These types of damages are only awarded when the behavior of the defendant is found to be particularly reprehensible.

Say, for example, someone found out they had AIDS and decided to have sex with others to give them the disease. Or that a company found out their product was incredibly dangerous and hid that information so they could still sell it. Deliberate acts like these could potentially be grounds for punitive damages, where the individuals or organizations responsible are ordered to pay you because they engaged in horrible behavior and it caused you harm.

Compensatory damages are far more common, so that is what we will be focus on for the rest of this post.

Understanding Compensatory Damages in Personal Injury Lawsuits

The first thing to understand about compensatory damages is that the goal is to pay you back for some kind of harm that you have suffered. In some cases, this harm can be easily quantified, while in others it is much more open to debate.

What kinds of things can you be awarded compensatory damages for?

Medical bills.

You can get compensation for medical treatment you receive related to the incident. This includes the cost of pre-death medical care in wrongful death cases.

Estimated cost of future medical care.

If you are injured in such a way that you will need to receive ongoing care, the negligent party or parties can be held responsible for the cost of future care.

Related household expenses.

When you’re hurt, often you are not as able to get around and take care of regular household duties. It could be that you need to pay someone to mow your lawn. Or clean. There are all kinds of things that could potentially be covered here.

Costs related to changes in plans.

You were about to set sail on a cruise around the world, but now you’re laid up in the hospital because someone else hurt you. According to the law, they can be held responsible for covering the cost of any changes in plans you have to make.

Loss of earnings.

If you are in the hospital for a month recovering, that’s a month of not earning a salary. The party that injured you can be held liable for this money.

Loss of future earnings.

Before your accident, you were a college professor. But since you suffered traumatic brain injuries, that career just isn’t an option any more. The responsible party can be made to pay for all of the earnings that you rightfully would have made throughout your career if they had never hurt you.

Loss of services and support.

Maybe your wife was a homemaker and caretaker to your children before she died. Now that she’s no longer there, you have to find a way to cover these duties. Typically, that means hiring someone. This is an expense the responsible party should cover.

Pain and suffering.

It’s important to have your hospital bills paid for, but you still have to endure pain and suffering due to the actions of another. There’s no way to make this pain and suffering go away, but there is a way to get compensated for it.

Mental anguish.

Beyond the physical pain that you feel, there are also potential mental issues, such as PTSD, stress, and fear, which you may never fully recover from. You can sue to get compensation for these issues as well.

As you can see, there are many types of damages you can seek in personal injury lawsuits in Florida. If you are interested in learning more about which of these may apply in your particular circumstances, get in contact with Neufeld, Kleinberg & Pinkiert today.

Over 100 Years of Combined Personal Injury Experience in Florida

Start My Claim (305) 404-8217

Reviews

Quote Quote

You Only Pay Legal Fees if We Win a Settlement

Neufeld, Kleinberg & Pinkiert, PA handles a variety of personal-injury cases. We understand that you are concerned about getting healthy, getting back to work, paying your bills and of course, being fully compensated for your loss. Contact us to start the path to wholeness from your injury today.

Get Consultation
  • NEVER Pay A Fee Unless We Win Your Case

  • Highly Experienced & Professional Representationur

  • Start Your Claim Off With A FREE Case Evaluation

  • Get Back To NORMAL... As Soon As Possible

Request a Free Consultation

All Consultations Are Free of Charge

Hidden
Hidden
Hidden
Hidden
Hidden
Hidden
Hidden
Hidden
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Helping those Injured in Accidents Across Florida

While we are proud to call Miami and Aventura home, we are also more than happy to help injured people living anywhere in the Sunshine State. In fact, we’ve even been known to travel all around the country just to meet our clients’ needs.

We are here to help the residents of:

Recent Articles from the Blog

How South Florida’s Traffic Cameras Can Prove Vital in Auto Accident Claims

Florida Red Light Cameras Cameras are everywhere these days. You may or may not be startled at the sheer number cameras that record your...

Read More..

5 Tips For Protecting Your Personal Injury Claim From An ERISA Lien

When you sustain injuries due to someone else’s negligence, it triggers a number of legal rights. You have a right to recover damages...

Read More..

Low Impact Florida Collisions

Have You Suffered an Injury from a Low Impact Car Accident in Florida? It is common knowledge that accidents that occur at high speeds can...

Read More..
Top Rated Personal Injury Lawyers

Empathy and Compassion in Personal Injury Law: Why It Matters for Your Case and Recovery

When you’ve been injured in an accident, the last thing you want is to deal with an unsympathetic or uncompassionate personal injury...

Read More..
Men slip and fall on wet floor

Common Causes of Slip and Fall Incidents in Florida

Florida Slip and Fall Accidents Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere and at any time to anyone. It’s important to acknowledge that...

Read More..

Coping With Losing a Family Member in a Vehicle Accident

Have you lost a loved one due to negligence or other error? The loss of a family member is one of life’s most stressful events,...

Read More..