Maybe a distracted driver hit you while you were walking in a crosswalk. Or maybe you slipped on an unsafe spill in a grocery store and hurt your back. No matter what the circumstance, you now have real injuries to deal with because of someone else’s negligence.
Medical expenses
Suffering a personal injury will involve at the very least several doctor’s visits. You might have expensive treatments, physical therapy and prescription medications to worry about as well. It only makes sense that you can bring a lawsuit to make the responsible party or their insurance compensate you for these costs.
Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
If your injury prevents you from working while you heal, you might be able to ask for lost wages. That way, you don’t have to suffer from the loss of an income until you are able to return to work.
If your injury is severe enough to prevent you from earning as much money in the future (such as if it left you with a permanent disability), you may even be able to recover for loss of earning capacity.
Intangible losses
Not all losses are as readily recognizable as medical expenses and lost earning opportunities. A severe personal injury can also have a negative effect on your personal relationships and mental well-being, for which you should also be compensated.
You can ask the court to award you compensation for loss of consortium, for example. This is when your injury hampers your ability to continue a healthy relationship with your spouse and other family members.
You can also seek a recovery for pain and suffering, as well as mental anguish resulting from the injury. Under special circumstances, you might even qualify for compensation for intentional infliction of emotional distress – although such cases are rare and only arise when the negligent party’s conduct was truly extreme.
No one should have to live with the consequences of someone else’s negligence without recourse. A personal injury lawsuit can help to put you in the same position you were before the accident – or as close to it as possible.