Personal injury cases are also known as damages because the plaintiff seeks to recover in the areas of their lives that were affected by the accident. These areas could include finances, health, and wellness. You may be able to file a personal injuries claim in Florida if you are injured in an accident. This will allow you to seek damages for all medical bills, including doctor’s visits, surgeries, and ambulance rides.
However, damages can go beyond a person’s immediate physical health. If your injury prevents you from returning to work, then you might file a claim to recover damages for lost wages or future loss of earning ability. In these cases are easy to calculate the damages. Other cases, like personal injury claims for pain or suffering, can be more complicated to estimate. Florida’s personal injury cases typically fall under three types: general, compensatory, and punitive.
Here is a list of damages that are most commonly awarded in personal injury cases.
- Loss of enjoyment
- Medical costs
- Pain and suffering
- mental anguish
- Future medical care
- Property Damage
- emotional distress
- Loss of income
- Loss of relationships (consortium).
Compensation for Damages
Most personal injury cases are considered compensatory. This means that damages awarded to an injured party will be used to compensate them for any losses resulting from the accident. Personal injury cases can include compensatory damages to make financial amends for any financial losses. Compensatory damages can include medical bills, lost income, and property damage.
General Damages
Compensatory damages and general damages are often sought. These are more abstract damages that can be difficult to quantify, like pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment. Personal injury claims are subject to wide variations in the number of damages that they award. Placing value on concepts like loss of enjoyment and loss of relationships can be difficult.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are meant to punish the party at fault for their misconduct or negligence. Personal injury cases involving punitive damages claims are the most difficult. The state of Florida has a maximum amount of punitive damages that can be awarded to any claim.
List of Personal Injury Lawyers in Florida
You need to find the right attorney to represent your case before you file a personal injury lawsuit.
This post was written by Kelly-Ann Jenkins of Jenkins Law P.L. Kelly-Ann is an Personal Injury Attorney St Petersburg FL She focuses on personal injury, car accidents, and bicyclist injury. The information on this site is not intended to and does not offer legal advice, legal recommendations or legal representation on any matter. Hiring an attorney is an important decision, which should not be based on advertising. You need to consult an attorney for legal advice regarding your individual situation.
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