When you or a loved one has been injured and you are considering filing a claim for personal injuries you may wonder what type of damages you could be awarded. Damages in a personal injury lawsuit include economic losses. This would comprise of lost earnings, medical expenses, property damage, and future losses. In some cases, you may have additional damages for loss of consortium, punitive damages, and emotional damages. Here is an explanation of the two types of damages you may be awarded if you are successful in your personal injury lawsuit.
Compensatory Damages
Compensatory damages are actual or estimated damages. Compensatory damages are meant to reimburse the injured party for expenses and losses caused by the injury. These damages are calculated based on the actual medical bills, lost wages and money paid by the injured party to repair property. Additionally, when someone is injured they may have future needs that need to be considered when filing a claim for damages. Pain and suffering or your spouse’s claim for loss of consortium would be categorized as estimated damages.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages may be awarded in addition to compensatory damages. Punitive damages are often awarded when the defendant’s actions that caused the accident were of willful, wanton disregard for the safety of other people. Punitive damages are awarded not as compensation but to punish the defendant and to deter others from engaging in similar behavior. To be successful in your claim for punitive damages you must be able to prove the defendant knew their actions were of malicious intent and still engaged in the activity such as driving while intoxicated. Awards for punitive damages are often excessive. They are meant to punish the defendant and not to compensate the victim. It is up to a jury to determine punitive damages and therefore oftentimes subjective and unpredictable.
Motorcycle Accident Attorney Russ Brown, the original Motorcycle Lawyer that rides and cares is the founder and acting director of Brown, Koro, & Romag, LLP. Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Russ Brown brings unmatched experience, leadership, and personalized attention to every case the firm represents. He has been winning millions upon millions of dollars in claims for motorcyclists since 1975. As a motorcycle rider himself, he specializes in the motorcycle accident. Russ Brown, Motorcycle Attorney, is a motorcycle rider who cares about fellow riders. As a biker, his passion of riding led him into a law career that allowed him to utilize his experience as a rider to represent the best interest of his clients time and time again.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle accident Call 1-800-4-Bikers to speak to an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer today.
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident in New York, Pennsylvania, or Ohio you need an Aggressive Motorcycle accident lawyer to protect your rights! Call 1-800-424-5377 today! Rob Fleming is a Freelance writer for hire with over 10 years experience in Developing unique website content, Website Marketing, and SEO techniques. He has authored hundreds of powerful articles on building site authority and driving traffic to websites.
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