Compensation for Injury caused by any form of accident due to negligence may be available. According to Tom Plouff Alabama Attorney, the compensation fee varies with the type of injury and the circumstances around the injury incurred. Personal injury can be defined as any form of injury that an individual incurs. You may have compensation from the company or person that caused the injury. There are several types of personal injury compensation. It is very important to have an understanding of personal injury and what it entails. There are two major types of personal injury damages and these types are further divided into different categories.
Types of Personal Injury Compensation
1. Compensatory Damage
In this type of damage, you are compensated for the amount that will compensate you for such things you have lost as a result of the accident and can include special compensatory damages.
The other types of damages under compensatory damage are general compensatory damage, special compensatory damage, wrongful death damage.
Special Compensatory Damage
This is also referred to as economic damage. This type of compensation only pays or reimburse you for the income you may have lost in the past or future due to the accident for example.
- Medical expenses
No matter how small or big your injury is, medical treatment is always involved. If proper documentation is done you are fortunate to get a reimbursement for your medical expenses.
The interesting part is that you are also entitled to paid medical expenses in the future. To get compensation for your injury, you have to record or document all the bills receipts and documentation used for medical treatment. Which includes admission fees, medical bills and treatment which include lab tests and surgery.
Physiotherapy and bills for pain management, doctors’ appointment bills, prescription medication cost, medical transportation including ambulance, nurse home care and increase in living expenses.
- Damages on Property Expenses
Which might include your car, van, boat, bike etc. Hiring an experienced vehicle accident lawyer will help you recover your damaged property.
- Lost income
Any lost income you may encounter due to your injury, you may have reimbursement. You are qualified for compensation if your injury led to disability because it will limit your ability to earn in the future. And if as a result of the injury or accident you couldn’t work for some days or weeks, you are also qualified to get wages entitled to you during those periods you couldn’t work according to Tom Plouff Alabama attorney.
General Compensatory Damages
This is often referred to as non-economic damages. This type of damage compensates you for the non-monetary aspect of your injury. General compensatory damages can be so hard to prove, but it covers typically the greatest losses, like pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life says Tom Plouff Alabama Attorney. Cases of general damage include:
- Emotional distress
Injuries sometimes cause emotional distress and it’s always hard to quantify. Some states give compensation for emotional distress while some do not.
- Pain and suffering
The medical expenses damage mentioned above does not cover the pain and suffering undergone during injury. The value of your pain and suffering is determined by some factors, they include:
- The number of days taken to recover
- Type of injury sustained
- Type of medication prescription
- Permanence of the injury
- Inability to Enjoy Life
Participating in activities during an injury can be difficult. Activities like sports, playing of instruments etc. Compensation can be incurred based on this.
Also, other types of general damages are
- Loss of companionship
- Inconvenience
- Physical impairment etc.
Wrongful Death Damage
This type of compensation damage combines both special compensation damage and general compensation damage. They are mostly applicable when the damage causes wrongful death. The survivor receives this compensation damages. Wrongful death compensatory damage includes
- Burial cost
Funerals can be very expensive, getting compensation can be a great relief for the members of the family.
A lot might have been spent on medical expenses before the death of the individual. Help for paying the debts might be needed by the family members. Compensation will go a long way.
- The mental anguish of family members:
Compensation for emotional distress can be gotten for the affected family. The award is to aid the family to survive during their grieving family members
2. Punitive Damage
This involves punishing the person or entity responsible for the cause of your injury. This type of damage is not usually awarded compared to compensatory damage. In punitive damage, the person involved in the cause of your injury is punished. If the compensation given by the defendant is not enough for the injury caused, the court awards you with a punitive damage compensation.
If the reason for the cause of injury was a malicious act or is due to gross negligence, fraud, financial issues, you may be awarded punitive damage but there may be constitutional limitations on the amount that is allowed. Tom Plouff Alabama attorney says one of the cases he tried resulted in a jury verdict for $35 million, including $25 million for punitive damages but the punitive award was cut to $10 million.
Conclusion
In most cases, you are required to take certain steps to reduce damages caused by accidents. Failure to do so will result in a reduced amount of compensation. With the information provided above, you should by now have a better understanding of personal injury compensation and the common types available. With an experienced and skilled personal injury lawyer like Tom Plouff Alabama Attorney, it becomes possible to receive compensation that will cover your needs even if there is a need to fight in court for damages. You should know that in punitive damages you don’t get compensation for losses but rather the person that is responsible for your injury get punished. Most personal injury cases aim to help recover compensatory damages.
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