When you file a personal injury case, the point of the case is to get a reward from the defendant to compensation you for the damages that you sustained due to their actions, whether intentional, negligent or reckless. The two types of damages that you can seek compensation for are economic and non-economic damages.
How Economic Damages Are Defined
Economic damages are also often called special damages. These are damages that are easier to measure and prove. With economic damage, you can back up the damage that the defendant had on your life through bills and receipts. You can physically show how your life was impacted. Some types of economic damages are more easy to how than others.
Types of Economic Damage
A wide variety of different types of damage falls under the category of economic damage. Basically, any type of damage that can be quantified with a paper trail generally falls under economic damages.
Vehicle Damage
Personal injury lawsuits are often filed for car accidents. Any damage that you
had to have fixed on your vehicle qualifies. If you were able to repair your vehicle, all the repair costs would qualify.
Vehicle Replacement Costs
If your vehicle was totaled, you can sue for the cost to replace your vehicle with a similar vehicle. For example, if you drove a newer SUV, you could add the cost of purchasing a newer SUV to your lawsuit.
Damaged Property
If you had other property that was damaged by the defendant, as long as you can show that you owed the property, the cost of replacing it can be recovered. You can share receipts of what you paid to replace the items, or you can show what it will cost you to replace the items once you have the money to do so.
Medical Bills
All medical bills that you incurred count as economic damage, as these are easy to quantify numbers. If you suffer a condition that is on-going, a medical professional may need to be brought in to consult and figure out what your long-term or life-long medical bills may add up to.
Lost Income
This type of economic damage takes a little more skill to show. You will need to show your typical work schedule before the accident, as well as what you brought in each month on average. Then, you would need to show your decreased work activity and loss of wages.
Loss of Earning Capacity
This one usually requires bringing in someone with a financial degree. A financial expert can predict, based on how much you worked, the occupation you are in, the general career path for that occupation, and your education level, to determine what your lifetime earning capacity and loss of earning capacity will be.
When you file a personal injury lawsuit, the economic damages you can try to get compensated for are any damages that you can put a solid numerical value on, through bills, receipts, or financial work. Contact a truck accident attorney for more help.