If someone else’s negligence causes you injury, you may consider filing a personal injury claim to recoup your financial losses.
There are two different types of compensation to request in these cases. Georgia does not limit the damages in personal injury suits, but judges can modify exorbitant awards.
1. General damages
An accident or injury is a traumatic experience for anyone. General damages compensate for the emotional and physical pain resulting from the injury. When determining an award, juries consider the lasting effects of permanent disability or disfigurement, anxiety and depression and lowered quality of life. These damages do not have a specific dollar amount and could be one to five times the total of your economic loss.
2. Special damages
Special damages are the specific economic losses from your injury.
- Lost wages – An injury that keeps you from your job also prevents you from earning an income. You can request the amount of money you lost while out of work and future wages if you can not return to your job.
- Medical bills – Medical debt adds up quickly after an injury. Special damages might cover the total cost of your medical expenses. This includes the cost of the initial injury as well as ongoing medications, therapy, medical devices, in-home care and other medical necessities.
- Property damage – If someone damages your personal property, such as a car or bicycle, you can recover the cost of repair or replacement
If you become injured because of another person’s actions, you may seek both economic and non-economic damages in a personal injury case.