If you were recently injured in a car accident, by a defective product, by a dangerous prescription drug, on someone else’s property, or due to medical malpractice, you are probably wondering, “How much is my personal injury case worth?” How much your case is worth will come down to the damages that you have suffered. Such damages include, but are not limited to the following:
- Your pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Any property damage (auto accidents)
- Your past and present medical bills
- Your future medical bills
- Your lost income
When an injured party (the plaintiff) files a personal injury claim, the at-fault party compensates the plaintiff for their damages. Often, it’s the legally liable party’s insurance company that handles the settlement process. Insurance companies are involved in most types of claims, but there are exceptions. For example, insurance companies are typically involved in these types of cases:
- Auto accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Product liability claims
- Premises liability cases
- Medical malpractice
- Workplace accidents
The purpose of a personal injury settlement or jury award is to make the plaintiff whole again from a financial perspective. In order to do this, the plaintiff’s personal injury attorney and the at-fault party’s insurance company will look at the effects of the accident and put a dollar figure on the claim.
Some of the damages are easy to quantify; for example, replacing the plaintiff’s vehicle and paying for their medical bills. Others, such as future surgeries, future loss of income, pain and suffering, and a decreased quality of life are not as easy to measure.
What Are Punitive Damages?
Occasionally, a defendant’s conduct will be so careless or so despicable that the injured party is entitled to punitive damages, which are meant to punish the at-fault party for their irresponsible conduct. For example, let’s say a man had a vicious Pitbull as a pet and knowing that he’s bitten people in the past, he allows the dog to run around all day without being confined behind a fence or tied up, knowing that small children play on his block.
If the vicious dog attacks a small child while roaming the neighborhood, forever disfiguring the child’s face and making the child blind in one eye, the child may be awarded punitive damages because the dog’s owner’s conduct was particularly egregious. That’s an example of how punitive damages can be awarded.
If you were injured in an accident that was not your fault, a Columbia personal injury attorney from our firm can help you better understand what your case is worth. Contact us today to schedule your free case evaluation!