Have you noticed one thing? Just about any accident case you come across only talks about medical expenses. Some may talk about property damage and lost income as well. But there’s one category of loss whose effects are devastating and will impact the victim for longer periods: non-economic losses.
The worst thing about non-economic losses is that they aren’t physical. This alone makes it extremely difficult to prove that you’ve experienced them, let alone measure their impact on your life.
At times like this, you have one option that will change the tide in your favor. Getting help from a personal injury attorney. This solves just about all problems related to proving non-economic losses and how they affect your life.
But how do you know what types of damages fall under non-economic losses?
That is what this article is all about. It lists all the damages for which one can seek compensation under non-economic losses. Read on to find out more.
What are Non-Economic Losses?
An accident causes numerous damages to the victim. They’re broadly classified into the following three categories:
- Physical
- Financial
- Emotional
The first two types of losses fall under economic losses. They are measurable and easy to prove. You just have to submit the relevant bills and medical records to prove economic damages.
Sadly, that’s not the case with non-economic damages, the third damage in the classification.
Non-economic losses are intangible, meaning that you cannot assign a specific number to the losses that come under them. This makes it challenging for victims to prove and seek compensation for non-economic damages.
Non-Economic Damages that a Victim May Sustain
The following are the non-economic damages that an accident victim may sustain.
Pain and Suffering
Some injuries are so severe that their impact lingers on, even after the scars have healed. Victims may suffer pain in the injured area. This pain can disappear after a few days or weeks, or it may last for months or years.
This kind of pain is classified as pain and suffering. All the hardships the victim is put through due to the pain caused by the injury fall under pain and suffering.
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Emotional Distress
The emotional impact of an accident is seldom talked about. An accident, especially a severe one, is bound to cause some type of psychological trauma. This trauma can meddle with your daily life, interfering in your personal and professional relationships.
Some of the common psychological conditions that accident victims suffer include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Impaired memory
- Mood swings
- Personality changes
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
Although this loss is synonymous with disability, it can appear in other situations as well. Victims may not be the same after an accident. The shift in physical appearance or financial condition may impact their ability to enjoy life like they used to.
The same applies to victims who cannot interact with their family members or partake in activities they once used. This inability has a psychological impact, forcing the victims to lead unhappy lives.
Loss of Consortium/Companionship
All accidents have some kind of impact on a family. Sometimes the injuries and their impact might be so severe that it changes the way you interact with your family.
A disability may rob the victim of the ability to be intimate with their partner. On a similar note, a physical condition may not allow the victim to play with their children like they used to.
Conditions like this are ideal to claim damages under the loss of consortium/companionship.
Disability/Disfigurements
Disability and disfigurement carry some of the highest compensation amounts. This is because they have a permanent impact on the victim.
In addition to the physical conditions, disability and disfigurement have serious psychological implications.
Disfigured victims may feel self-conscious and isolate themselves. They may also have self-image issues that stem from the disfigurement.
A disability forces the victim to rely on another person for the rest of their life. This over-reliance on someone, even for menial everyday tasks, can demoralize the victim.
Final Thoughts
The losses listed in this article have a nasty effect on the victim’s life. Tackling a compensation claim alone could be detrimental to both the claim and one’s mental health. This is why victims should hire a lawyer. An experienced accident lawyer will help prove non-economic damages and guide victims on the path to normalcy.
