Pursuing Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages compensate victims for the profound, non-financial losses that result from a spinal cord injury. While these losses don’t have a specific price tag, they represent the severe impact the injury has on your quality of life. Placing a monetary value on them is complex, but it is a crucial part of a personal injury claim.
Pain and Suffering
This category addresses the physical pain and discomfort caused by the injury itself, as well as the subsequent medical treatments and therapies. It accounts for chronic pain, nerve damage, and other persistent physical challenges that victims endure daily.
Emotional Distress and Mental Anguish
Living with a catastrophic injury takes a significant emotional toll. Damages for mental anguish compensate for conditions like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), grief, and fear. It acknowledges the psychological impact of adjusting to a new way of life.
Physical Impairment and Disfigurement
Compensation can be awarded for the loss of physical abilities, such as the inability to walk, control bodily functions, or perform daily tasks independently. Disfigurement, which includes scarring or other permanent changes to one’s appearance, also falls under this category.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
This refers to the inability to participate in hobbies, activities, and life experiences that brought you joy before the injury. Whether it’s playing with your children, engaging in sports, traveling, or pursuing a favorite pastime, the loss of these activities is a significant and compensable damage.
Loss of Consortium
This is a claim that can be brought by the spouse of the injured person. It compensates them for the loss of companionship, affection, and intimacy that results from their partner’s severe injury.