Accident injuries can complicate your life: they are stressful, painful, and can diminish your quality of life. While personal injury claims are absolutely about the property and money that is lost, an important part of any accident is how it impacts you. A critical parts of your case is how you feel and how your injuries affect your ability to function on a daily basis. Non-economic damages takes these aspects into account in your personal injury case.
Non-economic damages “refer to compensation for subjective, non-monetary losses such as pain, suffering, inconvenience, emotional distress… and loss of enjoyment of life.” In other words, non-economic damages compensate your quality of life. These differ from economic damages because they are difficult to quantify. For example, with economic damage, such as past and future loss of earnings and medical expenses, it is easier to decide the appropriate compensation because we know how much those cost.Though non-economic damages are difficult to quantify, they are still important in helping you get the most out of your personal injury case.
Here are a few important things to understand when it comes to non-economic damages:
Be Honest
- Tell your Doctor everything. They are required to keep accurate and detailed records of your medical history and care.
- These records are important information, as insurance companies will look to them to make decisions about your case.
- Finally, your medical records will be a primary source in determining the value of your non-economic damages.
Be Informed
- Because non-economic damages can vary from case to case, states are required to put monetary caps on them. This creates guidelines for juries when determining your damages and protects against excess compensation. However, these caps often change.
- Non-economic damages, while applicable in any personal injury case, refer often to medical malpractice cases.
- Your quality of life is important.
If you have been in an accident please contact us today for a free consultation. The attorneys at Good Guys Injury Law are experienced in representing accident victims and will help you get the most from your personal injury case.