Many people who are injured do not know that consulting a personal injury attorney could be the first step to recovering lost wages and damages for things like pain and suffering.

Those who experience unfortunate events such as slips and falls, car accidents, medical malpractice, or other types of unexpected injuries may be able to file personal injury lawsuits against those responsible with the help of a personal injury attorney.

How Does a Personal Injury Case Work?

There are many types of injuries that can be eligible in a personal injury lawsuit. These include vehicle accidents such as pedestrian or bus accidents, train accidents, amusement park accidents, boat accidents or motorcycle accidents.

Slip and fall accidents can include those caused by icy walkways, ditches and potholes, damaged sidewalks, wet and slippery floors or insufficient lighting.

Medical malpractice lawsuits include birth injuries, surgical errors, hospital negligence, a misdiagnosis and failed or botched procedures.

Additionally, there are other types of injuries that can befall a person in which case, contacting a personal injury attorney would be beneficial. These include  dog bites, food poisoning, workplace accidents, battery explosions and catastrophic injuries.

When trying to determine what a case is “worth,” a personal injury attorney can help determine what an individual may ask for in terms of damages. Damages are what injuries have cost an individual monetarily, physically, mentally and emotionally. Also, a type of damages called punitive damages may be used to punish the defendant and deter future misconduct.

Monetary damages are paid to the plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit by the company or the person who is found to be liable or responsible for the injury. This amount can be determined after a settlement that is negotiated by both parties, or it can be determined by a jury or a judge during a trial.

Compensatory damages are designed to “compensate” the injured person for what he or she lost as a result of the injury. It can be difficult to put a dollar amount on things like pain or emotional distress, but other things such as lost wages or medical costs are easy to determine.  A personal injury attorney can advise an injured individual regarding how much money they may hope to recover.

Types of Compensatory Damages

A personal injury attorney can help someone recover costs for medical treatment which includes money that they have already paid to get treated as well as money they may pay in the future for ongoing treatment.

Also, a personal injury lawsuit can request income compensation if the injury is impactful on a person’s wages, both in the past and potentially in the future. This is often called “loss of earning capacity.”

An injured individual may recover damages for property loss including vehicles or any other thing that may have been lost as a result of the injury.

Other types of compensatory damages that may be recovered in a personal injury lawsuit is pain and suffering, emotional suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium. Loss of consortium is a type of damages that relate to the loss of spousal companionship including intimacy as a result of theinjury.

If you have suffered a personal injury, you may benefit from speaking to an experienced personal injury attorney to discuss your options.