After an accident, you face significant immediate expenses and you may also be looking at life-long costs that go far beyond what you can imagine. In addition to the monetary costs, your way of life is changed and you may no longer be able to do the things that used to seem so basic and necessary in life. If someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, you can recover monetary compensation in a personal injury lawsuit for these losses, referred to as damages.
What Are Compensatory Damages?
Compensatory damages are meant to compensate you for the losses you have and will suffer as a result of your injuries. This includes both your economic and noneconomic damages.
Economic damages are those that can be directly tied to a dollar value, such as your medical expenses. Existing economic damages are fairly easy to calculate. For future economic damages we often work with experts such as medical experts and economists, to calculate and prove the costs you will face for the rest of your life.
Noneconomic damages are those which do not have a specific dollar value, but often mean far more to injury victims than lost money. Noneconomic damages include harm such as your pain and suffering and losing the ability to participate in the activities you used to enjoy including those which were an important part of your relationships with loved ones.
Types of Damages You May Be Able to Recover
Examples of the types of compensatory damages you may be able to recover for your injuries include:
- Existing and future medical expenses, including travel expenses
- Medications and medical supplies
- Medical equipment
- Home health care
- Custodial care
- Long-term care
- End-of-life care
- Rehabilitation and therapy
- Special equipment and home modifications to accommodate disability
- Adaptive vehicle, such as wheelchair van, and other transportation needs
- Prosthetics
- Existing and future lost income
- Lost earning capacity
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of consortium
To learn more about how we can help you recover maximum compensation for your injuries, please call the Rhode Island attorneys of Sinapi Law Associates, Ltd., at (401)-739-9690 or email us today.
