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Being injured in an accident can upset the basic pattern of your everyday life. You may have very serious injuries as a result of your accident, and you may be suffering from mental anxiety due to this stressful ordeal. On top of your pain and mental anguish, you may also have medical bills piling up. How are they going to get paid?
If you didn’t cause your accident, you may wonder how you can receive compensation to pay for your injuries and losses. Here’s how: You can file a personal injury claim to recover compensation, which might consist of economic damages and non-economic damages.
If you’re wondering what non-economic damages are, you’re not alone. Read on for more information on how Michigan approaches these damages.
What Are Non-Economic Losses in a Personal Injury Case?
A car accident attorney can recover non-economic losses in third-party lawsuits. You can file this lawsuit if another driver’s carelessness causes permanent disfigurement or “serious impairment of body function.” That means your injury interferes with your daily life significantly. A third-party suit is also an option if you have lost a loved one in an accident.
If you have the grounds for a third-party suit, our personal injury attorneys can claim a “non-economic loss” or “non-monetary damages.” These are things you can’t produce a bill for or tie to a specific loss, but they caused harm anyway. If you work with a lawyer or law firm, they can seek maximum compensation for your economic and non-economic damages.
Why Should You Pursue Non-Economic Damages?
In a personal injury case, your immediate pocket expenses might seem more pressing, but non-economic losses can extract heavy tolls in the long run. Seeking appropriate damages can help mitigate the challenges ahead by providing a financial cushion you may need.
For instance, while the pain and anguish of an injury or disability do not have a specific dollar amount, the consequences of these losses can hit your wallet. CNBC reports that major depression can cost over $10,000 a year in health costs. The overall losses caused by depression’s effect on work productivity are estimated at $44 billion.
Moreover, the trauma on your psyche from suffering an accident and injury warrants compensation. You weren’t just physically hurt—you were put through an ordeal that cost you time and emotional and mental energy. Justice doesn’t just mean paying your bills but also acknowledging that you were wronged, which can help bring you closure.
What Non-Economic Damages Could You Recover in a Personal Injury Case?
Depending on what you suffered in your car collision, your compensation could cover:
Pain and suffering
- Impaired quality of life
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment
- Loss of companionship
These intangible losses are often tied to an accident’s consequences. For example, if you were an avid tennis player whose hand was crushed in a crash, preventing you from playing tennis ever again, a pain and suffering attorney could link that unique circumstance to specific damages.
Financial compensation is also sometimes linked to specific injuries or conditions. If you developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a car crash, you could receive economic damages for the direct costs of your treatment and non-economic damages that recognize how your trauma affects your life.
Non-Economic Damages Can Extend to Family Members
If you are married or have children, your family could claim loss of consortium damages. This means that, due to your injuries, you can’t act as a companion like you were before the accident. For example, some injuries affect spousal intimacy or a parent’s ability to pick up their child. These are compensable losses through non-economic damages.
Economic vs. Non-Economic Damages
If you’ve never filed a personal injury claim before, it’s very likely that you don’t know the difference between economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those that involve a monetary loss as a result of your accident (e.g., when your car was totaled in a wreck or an accident that led to an expensive hospital stay).
Non-economic damages are those that involve a loss that doesn’t have a monetary cost associated with it. Often, courts still believe that certain kinds of non-economic suffering should be monetarily compensated. For example, you can request in your Michigan injury claim compensation for emotional trauma you suffered.
Below are examples of economic damages and non-economic damages in Michigan.
Economic:
- The loss of or damage to your personal property
- Medical bills and related expenses
- Lost wages and future lost income
- Costs associated with transportation to and from doctor appointments
Non-economic:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish, such as post-traumatic stress disorder
- Reduced enjoyment of your life
- Scarring and disfigurement
Call Us Today – We Can Review Your Non-Economic Damages in a Personal Injury Case
As you pursue compensation for your injuries, you’re likely going to hear the term “non-economic damages.” Now, you know what that means and how these damages can help make sure you’re fully compensated for every hardship you’ve faced because of your accident.
No matter what kind of accident you were involved in, if you’ve been injured due to another party’s negligence, call a Michigan personal injury lawyer with Christensen Law. We offer a free consultation when you complete our contact form below or call us at 248-900-9000.
