If you or a loved one were injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence in Phoenix, AZ, you could seek financial compensation in a personal injury claim. Money damages in Arizona personal injury claims usually come in two forms: economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages have financial values that can be readily summed up in dollar figures. Medical bills, property repair costs, lost wages, and out-of-pocket costs are common forms of economic damages. Non-economic damages don’t translate as easily to clear numbers but are just as crucial as economic damages. In some cases, non-economic damages in a personal injury case can surpass the total economic damages involved.
Experienced Phoenix personal injury lawyers will have experience collecting non-economic damages for their clients. Schedule your free consultation today at (602) 345-1818. We’ll help you understand how non-economic damages might apply to your case.
What Are Non-Economic Damages?
Non-economic damages don’t come with an invoice or bill to easily explain their values. While economic damages can be calculated by looking at bills, receipts, invoices, or other documentation, non-economic damages demand a different approach. Non-economic damages include mental anguish, pain and suffering, reduced enjoyment of life, and loss of companionship with a loved one. Other unseen “costs” of an accident can be included as well. Non-economic damages acknowledge that accidents can come with costs ranging far beyond the “dollars and cents” figures.
If you or a loved one were injured in an accident, your Phoenix personal injury lawyer will carefully collect evidence and evaluate the suffering you’ve experienced due to your injuries. Skilled personal injury attorneys in Arizona can seek the maximum value for your non-economic damages as part of the claim.
Types of Non-Economic Damages
The non-economic damages in a personal injury case will vary based on the accident and injuries involved. Common forms of non-economic damages include:
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering in a personal injury case includes the physical and emotional trauma caused by another person’s negligence. Accident victims can suffer from shock, cognitive damage, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and other effects from the accident. Evaluation from medical professionals and counselors will be useful when proving pain and suffering.
Emotional Distress
Emotional distress in a personal injury case is a category factoring in your emotional trauma. The process of going through an accident and dealing with the aftermath can cause emotional distress for anyone. In some cases, an accident victim will experience the hardship of trying to get their lives back or knowing they will not return to their pre-accident condition.
Disability and Disfigurement
Injuries from an accident can be severe and catastrophic. In some accidents, injuries include disfigurement, scarring, loss of limbs, or other permanent damage to the body’s functions. It is only natural for an accident victim faced with these injuries to face long-term emotional distress. When injuries of this nature were caused by someone else’s negligent act, the victim is entitled to seek non-economic damages. A personal injury lawyer will fight for the non-economic damages that their client deserves.
Reduced Enjoyment of Life
Loss of enjoyment of life differs from the damages one can seek for lost work opportunities and reduced wages due to an accident (which are economic damages). Reduced enjoyment or quality of life refers to a victim’s inability to enjoy the life they led before. If a person had certain hobbies, sports, or other activities they loved but can no longer do – compensation can be sought for those losses. This category will even address basic activities of life, such as cooking or cleaning, that are impacted by one’s injuries from the accident.
Loss of Consortium
Loss of consortium includes the loss of love, companionship, affection, advice, and guidance when a family member suffers a debilitating injury. Often, this applies when a person loses a spouse (in a wrongful death claim), or when their spouse becomes permanently disabled due to the accident. Plaintiffs can recover non-economic damages for loss of consortium in Arizona.
Calculating Non-Economic Damages In Arizona
There is no standard formula to calculate non-economic damages in every case. The claimant will first need to prove the other party was negligent, and responsible for damages. Economic damages are typically calculated first because they are more straightforward.
Calculating non-economic damages usually follows one of two methods:
- The Per Diem Method. In this approach, a daily monetary value is given to account for pain, suffering, and other non-economic damages. The daily value is then multiplied by the total days that the victim experiences their hardships before reaching “maximum medical improvement” (as determined by a doctor).
- The Multiplier Method. Under the multiplier method, a figure between 1.5 and 5 will usually be used to multiply economic damages. The amount used as a multiplier will be based on the severity of the injury, the length of time to recover, and whether any injuries were permanent.
To maximize your non-economic damages in a personal injury case, you want to hire a knowledgeable personal injury attorney with significant experience handling non-economic damages.
A Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You Seek Non-Economic Damages
If you were injured in a car accident, slip and fall, or any other incident, your pain and suffering may include significant emotional distress and trauma. You shouldn’t have to face this burden alone. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you pursue both economic and non-economic damages in your case. Consider reaching out for a consultation to discuss your legal options.