If you have been injured in an auto accident in Temple Terrace, FL it is helpful for you to know which damages can and cannot be considered as part of your auto accident claim. In the trial of a personal injury case, a jury will be asked to complete a verdict form. We will discuss each component of auto accident damages in a personal injury case in the same order as they appear on a jury verdict form.
First, the jury will be asked to consider the amount of medical bills. In determining the amount of medical bills a jury is instructed to determine the reasonable value or expense of hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment necessarily or reasonably obtained by the injured claimant in the past or to be so obtained in the future.
Next, the jury will be asked to evaluate the amount of missed time from work and lost wages the person suffered. The jury is asked to determine any earnings lost in the past and any loss of ability to each money in the future.
Beyond economic damages for medical bills and wages, injuries impact a person’s ability to enjoy life. These damages are known as noneconomic damages. In evaluating noneconomic damages a jury is asked to consider any bodily injury sustained by the injured claimant and any resulting pain and suffering, disability or physical impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, or loss of capacity for enjoyment of life experienced in the past or to be experienced in the future. There is no exact standard for measuring such damages. However, the amount should be fair and just in light of the evidence.
For debilitating and permanent injuries that severely impact a married person’s marriage, the spouse of the injured person is also entitled to damages. These damages are called loss of consortium damages. In determining the spouse’s loss of consortium damages a jury is asked to determine an amount of money that the greater weight of the evidence shows will fairly and adequately compensate the spouse for any loss because of his wife’s or her husband’s injury of his/her services, comfort, society and attentions in the past and future caused by the incident in question.
For additional information and to evaluate the damages of your specific auto accident in Temple Terrace, please contact us for a free initial consultation.