Injuries resulting from the negligence of another party can change one’s life. Any kind of accident results in health complications that lead to huge bills to clear besides the emotional task of pulling through the trauma. Fortunately, New York personal injury law is constructed to assist the victims in seeking compensation for the loss they have incurred.
Damages in personal injury cases fall into two primary categories: economic and non-economic. This includes both revenue loss and damage to people’s character, dignity, reputations and general well-being.
7 Types of Damages Covered
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Medical Expenses
Compensation for medical treatment is one of the biggest components in most personal injury lawsuits. Victims are allowed full reimbursement concerning the expenses incurred in treating the injuries sustained in the accident. This can include:
- a) Emergency room visits
- b) Hospital stays
- c) Physical therapy
- d) Prescription medications
- e) Rehabilitation programs
The law also permits the recovery of other future expenses such as when a person has a serious or permanent condition and may need future treatments, or professional home care for the rest of his or her life.
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Loss of Likelihood of Employment
An injury that incapacitates a person and renders him or her unable to work is financially deadly. According to New York law, the victim is allowed to recover lost wages for the time they are out of work in their recovery time.
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Property Damage
In case you had personal property in the occurrence such as a car during a crash you require compensation for repairs or replacement. There are two types of claims, property damage, which is quite different from personal injury, and while each one is filed separately, both may be filed together to recover any monies that may have been lost.
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Pain and Suffering
IC economic damages differ from pain and suffering damages in that they are non-pecuniary damages that intend to put victims in the position they were in had they not incurred the injury. These are, for instance, continuous and/or recurring pain, discomfit or other forms of bodily restrictions emanating from the accident.
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Emotional Distress
It is to be noted that injury is not only a physical danger, but persistent mental injuries are possible. Emotional distress includes pain and suffering that encompasses a current mental distress resulting from an accident such as anxiety, depression or PTSD.
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Loss of Consortium
This form of damages can be sought in cases where an injury has greatly estranged the victim or a family member from the other. This kind of compensation recognises the harm that the victim’s spouse or relatives, who lost company, affection, or sexual relations, went through.
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Punitive Damages
Unauthorized fees are less common but that provide the possibility of compensation in a punitive manner for conscious recklessness. Punitive damages differ from compensatory damages in the following way: the idea behind the latter is to bring the victim back to his status before the accident but punitive damages are awarded to discourage similar acts in the future.
Why It Is Important to Get Legal Assistance
Knowing all available forms of damages that are available under New York personal injury law is central to getting what you deserve. Even simple aspects of determining actual losses including hospital bills and costs, as well as other less measurable claims are not as simple as they appear to be. They have several complications and hence can be overwhelming; however, most New York personal injury lawyers have enough experience to help you determine the type of damages that you are legally entitled to after an injury and how to prove the same to the court.
It is always encouraged that you do not have to be so much involved with the laws, let professionals handle this for you while you concentrate on your recovery.
Conclusion
New York personal injury law provides an extensive framework on how victims who have been harmed by negligence are going to be compensated for their losses.
In case anyone has been injured he or she should not hesitate to seek his or her rights and the compensation that he or she deserves. This way, you are prepared and thus will ensure that the result is reasonable and more to the point, a satisfactory one that will enable you to go on with life.
