Personal Injury: Damages

Personal injury lawyers can help ensure that their clients receive the maximum amount of damages recoverable by law. Some of the items for which injured parties are legally entitled to compensation include past and future lost wages; past and future medical expenses; damages for both physical and emotional pain and suffering, again both past and present; and damages for disfigurement. Sometimes, a close family member of the injured person, such as his or her spouse, may also be entitled to damages, often referred to "loss of consortium damages," which are intended to compensate the loved one for the loss of the injured party's services and companionship.

Other kinds of damages that may be awarded, depending on the laws of the state in which the lawsuit is brought and the facts of the particular case, include "hedonic damages," which are awarded to compensate the plaintiff for the loss of enjoyment of activities that he or she once valued but can no longer participate in as a result of the injuries suffered, such as the inability of a person injured in a car accident to continue playing softball on a recreation league that was a big part of his or her life. Punitive damages are awarded when the defendant's conduct was particularly egregious and the court or jury determines that the defendant should be punished by paying an amount above and beyond the plaintiff's actual damages, which awards will also serve to deter others from engaging in similar wrongful conduct.