Personal Injury Lawyer: Economic vs. Non-Economic Damages
Choosing the right personal injury lawyer is only half of the challenge that many victims face. They also must prove that they have suffered both economic and non-economic damages. This is not always easy.
From the first conversation with a personal injury lawyer,
many clients realize that they need to separate the economic damages that they have experienced from the non-economic damages. This is not always easy and in some cases, lawyers struggle to try and prove that clients deserve compensation for those non-economic damages. Here's a look at both issues and what it takes to find the value of both.
Economic Damages
For most people, it is easier to understand and put a price tag on economic damages. He or she can tell you to the dollar how much the medical bills have been. It is easy to figure up the amount of work that has been missed and what a person's daily wage would be. These figures can be obtained by looking at different paperwork like a doctor's bill or a person's last paycheck. This gives a personal injury lawyer what he or she needs to build a case.
There are some economic damages that are not as easy to figure. In the case of the loss of life of a loved on, it may not be as easy to show the economic effect on a family. Some speculation is required to determine how much income this person would have brought in or how much his or her retirement account would have contained if there had not been an accident. A skilled personal injury lawyer relies on experts to assist in coming up with the right figure.
Non-Economic Damage
When a person is disfigured, he or she can show the medical bills that needed to be paid in order to get better and possibly make some adjustments to the appearance. While these are considered economic damages, they are not the only extent of the damage. Now that this accident has occurred, the victim must live with this disfigurement forever. It could mean that the quality of life has diminished or that there are going to be future complications or problems from it. How is it possible to put a price tag on the fact that someone could be stared at when they walk out in public for the rest of his or her life?
A personal injury lawyer with experience can help a victim come up with a figure that seems reasonable to compensate him or her for the trauma caused by the incident. While an attorney needs to be compassionate to a patient, he or she is slightly removed from the situation, making it easier to come up with a monetary value. Relying on experts is another efficient method for determining non-economic damages.
It is important to find a competent personal injury lawyer with the knowledge and experience necessary to pursue this case. A person's compensation is often tied to the legal representative that he or she chooses.
