Posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 at 1:22 am
When someone gets hurt because of another person’s carelessness or bad behavior, they can get money to help make up for what they’ve lost. This money is called “damages” in the legal world. Two main kinds of damages can be given in personal injury cases: compensatory vs. punitive damages. Understanding the difference between these two types of damages is essential if you’re considering filing a personal injury claim.
Dealing with a personal injury case can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. The London Harker Injury Law team is here to support you every step of the way. Our experienced Sandy personal injury attorneys and Provo personal injury attorneys want to make sure you get the help and compensation you need to move forward with your life.
Compensatory Damages: Getting Back What You Lost
Compensatory vs. punitive damages: Compensatory damages are meant to pay back the person who got hurt for what they’ve lost and to make things as close to how they were before the injury happened. There are two types of compensatory damages: economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages, also called monetary damages, are supposed to pay back the injured person for the money they’ve lost because of the injury. Here are some examples of economic damages:
- Doctor and hospital bills, and other similar medical expenses (both now and in the future)
- Money lost from not being able to work or lost wages
- Property damages, like a car or house
- Any other expenses that came up because of the injury
These economic damages are meant to help the injured party recover financially after an accident.
Non-economic damages, sometimes called emotional damages, are meant to make up for the losses that aren’t about money but still matter. These damages can be more complicated to put a price on, but they’re just as accurate as economic damages. Here are some examples of non-economic damages:
- Pain and suffering (how much it physically hurts)
- Emotional distress and mental anguish (feeling sad, scared, or anxious because of the injury, or having PTSD)
- Loss of enjoyment of life (not being able to do things you loved before the injury)
- Loss of consortium (when the injury hurts your relationships with family and friends)
Non-economic damages recognize that an injury can impact a person’s life in ways that go beyond just financial losses.
Examples of Compensatory Damages
To help you understand general compensatory damages and how it can address both damages and emotional distress, here are some examples:
- A construction worker gets hurt on the job because of equipment that wasn’t working right. They break their leg and can’t work for a few months. In this case, the worker might get compensatory damages for their medical bills, the money they lost from not working, and their pain and suffering.
- A product that doesn’t work correctly causes a house fire, which leads to a lot of damage to the house and makes the people who live there feel upset and scared. The homeowners might be able to get compensatory damages to pay for the cost of fixing the house. This includes replacing the things they lost and the emotional stress the fire caused.
Punitive Damages: Punishing Bad Behavior and Making Sure It Doesn’t Happen Again
Compensatory vs. punitive damages: Punitive damages are given in cases where the person who caused the harm did something terrible, careless, or on purpose. They’re not meant to pay back the person who got hurt. Instead, it is to punish the person who did something wrong and to ensure other people don’t do the same bad things in the future.
Punitive damages aren’t given in every personal injury case. They’re usually only used when the person who caused the harm did something terrible. The point of punitive damages is to send a strong message that this kind of behavior won’t be accepted and to stop others from doing similar things.
Examples of Punitive Damages
Punitive damages can be used to punish particularly reckless or dangerous behavior and send a message about its consequences. Here are a couple of examples that show when punitive damages might be given:
- A drug company intentionally puts out a dangerous medicine without telling people about the risks. If the company is found to have been careless or to have put people in danger on purpose, they might have to pay punitive damages. This is done as a punishment and to stop other companies from doing the same thing.
- A drunk driver causes a terrible car accident that hurts someone else badly. If the driver’s blood alcohol level is over the legal limit and there are prior incidents of drunk driving, a court can add punitive damages. This is done to punish them for being so reckless and to show how serious it is to drive drunk.
Let London Harker Injury Law Fight for the Damages You Deserve
Understanding the differences between compensatory and punitive damages can be tricky. Our team of Sandy personal injury lawyers or Provo personal injury lawyers are here to help you. At London Harker Injury Law, our team of lawyers knows a lot about this and wants to help people who have been hurt in accidents understand their rights and get the money they deserve.
If you or someone you love has been hurt because of someone else’s carelessness or bad behavior, call London Harker Injury Law at 77CARCRASH or visit our website today for a free consultation. That means you can talk to us about your case without paying anything. Our team will look at your case, explain the damages, and get you the best possible outcome. Don’t wait. Let us help you on your way to getting better and getting justice.
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