When you become hurt due to someone else’s negligence, you may be in a position to seek financial compensation. Personal injury cases often involve special and general damages, but what is the difference between the two? If you’re wondering, “What are special damages in a personal injury case?” you’ve come to the right place.

The team at Yale Haymond Law PLLC is here to break down what you need to know about compensatory damages.

Why Should You Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in Charlotte, NC, After an Accident?

Filing an insurance claim after a motor vehicle collision, workplace accident, or other harmful incident could potentially lead to a payout. Going through this process on your own may come with challenges you don’t know how to navigate. Working with an experienced attorney could provide peace of mind as a legal professional advocates on your behalf.

If you sustain an injury due to another party’s negligence, a personal injury lawyer in Charlotte, NC, may be able to help you seek compensation. An attorney could gather evidence supporting your claim, evaluate your potential damages, and negotiate settlement offers with the insurance company.

Exploring Special Damages in Personal Injury Cases

Let’s say another driver collided with your car in a rear-end accident. The incident not only damaged your vehicle but also left you with a serious head injury from the force of impact. The injury even kept you from working for a few weeks.

You speak with a lawyer about pursuing compensation, and they mention claiming special damages. What are special damages in a personal injury case?

Also known as economic damages, they refer to both out-of-pocket costs and measurable financial losses related to an injury. A personal injury lawsuit may include any of the following special damages:

  • Medical expenses: The cost of ambulance transportation, hospitalizations, doctor appointments, and injury rehabilitation are all considered special damages.
  • Lost wages or earning capacity: If an injury keeps you from working, you may be able to claim your lost earnings in a lawsuit.
  • Home modifications required due to injury: Certain injuries require individuals to modify their home environment, such as a wheelchair-bound person needing to install a ramp to enter their house. The cost of these modifications could be considered special damages.
  • Property damage: Some cases include property damage, such as car accidents that leave a vehicle in need of major repairs.

Keep all medical bills, pay stubs, and receipts in order to calculate your potential damages and compensation.

How Special Damages Differ From General Damages

If you ask an attorney, “What are special damages in a personal injury case?” they may tell you that they have a concrete value. For instance, say a car accident leads to a $1,000 vehicle repair estimate and $10,000 in medical bills. Citing these numbers, a plaintiff opening a personal injury case could seek approximately $11,000 in special damages.

However, plaintiffs may also pursue general or non-economic damages. Personal injury cases can involve both bodily injury and emotional or psychological distress. When plaintiffs seek compensation for their pain and suffering, they’re in pursuit of general damages.

The biggest difference is that special damages have a specific dollar amount that you can track, whereas general damages have no concrete value. By gathering evidence highlighting the emotional toll of an injury, lawyers may advocate for their injured clients to receive compensation for their pain and suffering, in addition to their measurable monetary losses.

How Evidence Impacts Personal Injury Claims

Whether you’re seeking special damages, general damages, or both, you’ll need evidence supporting your claim. Keep relevant bills, receipts, and other documents handy to highlight your economic damages. It may be easier to advocate for a certain settlement amount when you have medical bills, vehicle repair estimates, and more showing the financial impact of your injury.

As for general damages, statements from loved ones, testimony from mental health professionals, or even personal journal entries may highlight the mental anguish you’re experiencing due to an accident or injury.

Contact a Charlotte Personal Injury Lawyer for Assistance

After reading this guide, you no longer need to wonder, “What are special damages in a personal injury case, and how are they different from general damages?” If you’re looking to claim these damages after an accident, Yale Haymond Law PLLC may be able to help.

Founding attorney Yale Haymond represents clients in a wide range of personal injury cases. Whether you’ve been hurt in an auto accident, a slip and fall on someone’s property, or even a dog attack, our firm is ready to review your case.

Give us a call at (704) 800-4357 to schedule a free consultation.