Economic Damages in Florida Personal Injury Actions
When people think of the damages that they may suffer as a result of someone else’s negligence and then seek recovery in personal injury claims or actions, the first thing most people think of is pain and suffering. This is the element of damages that is most often talked about because the pain that a victim of a motor vehicle, slip and fall or any other type of personal injury scenario suffers from his or her injuries is often what sticks with him or her the most. Pain and suffering awards are what is most commonly known as non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are important, but these are far from the only number that matters when you are seeking compensation for your injuries and other losses from the person that injured you and that person’s insurer. Do not overlook the economic damages.
People can lose sight of the economic damages involved: the property damage, lost wages, lost future earning capacity, medical bills, and the costs of medical treatment that an accident victim may suffer because of a motor vehicle accident. However, these are just as important, if not more important, than the pain and suffering that someone may endure given that these are real costs that the injured party is often bearing out of pocket. Under Florida law, you have every right to seek every penny of economic damages you suffer as a result of someone else’s negligence.
Medical Bills and The Costs of Medical Treatment
If you had surgery as a result of your injuries suffered due to someone else’s negligence and paid for a certain percentage of the cost of that surgery yourself, then you would be entitled to seek compensation against the person that injured you. Likewise, if you had co-pays for each of the physician visits or physical therapy appointments that you had to attend because of your injuries from an accident, those would all be covered expenses pursuant to Florida law that you would be able to seek as damages against the party that injured you.
Lost Wages and Loss of Future Earning Capacity Claims
Lost wages are another overlooked element of damages in many personal injury cases. Whether it is those first few weeks that you cannot work because your car is in the body shop being repaired and you have no way to get to work, or the months that you have to work a reduced schedule and consequently earn less than you did before your accident because you are still recovering from your injuries, you are entitled to compensation for those lost hours of work and the wages or salary that you would have made absent the negligence of the driver that injured you.
In some cases, you may never be able to return to your pre-incident earning capacity. You either may not be able to work the same hours that you could prior to your accident, or you can no longer perform the work that you did prior to your accident as a result of your injuries and are forced to take a lower paying job permanently as a result. In that case, then you would be able to recover for the amount of lost income that a jury determined you suffered over the course of your work-life expectancy.
Contact Schwed Adams & McGinley
At Schwed, Adams & McGinley, our experienced personal injury attorneys have more than 150 years of experience representing the victims of motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, trip and falls and all other personal injury scenarios in Florida. Regardless of what damages you have suffered as a result of someone else’s negligence, we will ensure that you obtain the maximum compensation for your injuries and damages caused by someone else’s negligence. This includes whatever lost wages, lost future earning capacity, medical bills and other economic damages that you have suffered as a result of someone else’s negligence. Our attorneys will always seek to obtain maximum compensation for your injuries, regardless of whether it is for economic or non-economic, suffered as a result of someone else’s negligence. If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence in Florida, contact the experienced personal injury attorneys at Schwed, Adams & McGinley, P.A. today at 877-694-6079 or contact@schwedlawfirm.com for a free consultation.