Lawsuits Mean Different Types Of Damage
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
A legal term that is used regularly when we get into the world of lawsuits is “damages.” When you go to trial for a lawsuit and sue someone, what you are suing them for is damages. Of course, in this case, when legal professionals talk about damages, this is a reference to financial compensation, not actual physical damage to a person or object.However, taking someone to court and suing them for damages involves different kinds of damage. We’re going to look at those different types and how they affect you if you’re thinking of going to court with a St. Pete lawyer for a personal injury case.
Compensatory Damages
This is the most common kind of damage sought in a lawsuit. As you might guess from the name, compensatory damages are financially motivated by compensation. If you are in an accident and a loss of money in some way, shape or form is the result, a lawsuit for compensatory damages is appropriate.
In this case, rather than you suffering the loss of that money, the party that you take to court will be responsible. Within compensatory damages, there are different types of specific damage that a plaintiff can sue for. In some cases, you may be able to sue for more than one type of damage, depending on the situation you have.
Property Damage
Property damage is a very common type of damage in lawsuits, even ones for negligence. For example, you’re minding your own business, in your own home, and a drunk driver loses control of his or her vehicle, goes off the road, and crashes into your home, breaking through the wall. You now have a damaged yard, and there’s a hole in your home as well as destroyed furniture as result of driver negligence. Property damage means that driver and the driver’s insurance company will be responsible for financing repairs.
Lost Wages
If you are in an accident that leaves you unable to work, you are not going to be able to collect the wages that you need to support your lifestyle, whether that is paying for food, rent, mortgages and other financial responsibilities. Damages for lost wages mean that the other party is now responsible for compensating you for the salary or payments you would have normally received had you not been injured.
Medical Treatment
Depending on the severity of the injuries, medical treatment can be an expensive and time consuming process. In the worst case scenarios, such as life-long ailments like a traumatic brain injury, it may now be a permanent part of a person’s lifestyle. Damages for medical treatment are the usual reason that damages are sought in the first place since this process is rarely cheap or easy.
Loss of Consortium
The worst of all possible consequences is death. When an accident claims a victim’s life, that person may leave behind a spouse and family that relied on the loved one’s financial support. Loss of consortium is when surviving family members go to court—usually for a wrongful death lawsuit—to sue for the years of lost financial support that the loved one’s death will now bring.
If you get involved in an accident and feel you are entitled to damages of some type, get in touch with a personal injury lawyer in St. Petersburg and start building your case.