What Is the Average Payout for a Personal Injury Claim in Philadelphia?
Personal Injury Losses Equal Damages in Philadelphia
Regardless of how you got injured, you will incur losses, which are also known as damages in personal injury claims. Damages come in two categories:- Economic Damages – Also known as special damages, these are measurable or tangible amounts of losses that you may also continue to lose because of the accident. These include your medical expenses, lost earnings, and property damage, etc.
- Non-Economic Damages – Also known as non-economic damages, these are intangible or immeasurable losses you have suffered and/or will continue to suffer. These generally include pain and suffering and emotional distress.
How to Calculate Economic Damages
You can calculate your economic damages by adding up all the hard costs that resulted from your injuries, such as:- Medical expenses, including hospitalization, emergency care, diagnostic testing, therapy, rehab, nursing care, etc.
- Lost past and future earnings
- Out-of-pocket expenses like medications, transportation costs for medical appointments, crutches, etc.
- Damaged or lost personal property
- Replacement costs for housekeeping and/or childcare while you were recovering and needed to hire someone else to do your house chores and/or care for your kids
How to Calculate Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are inherently tougher to calculate since you cannot really measure pain and suffering objectively. Answering the question what is the average payout for a personal injury claim in terms of non-economic damages is much more difficult. Since personal injury claims vary widely from one case to another, your pain and suffering won't be the same as another victim's pain and suffering. Two individuals could suffer from the same injuries, but one of them might experience more significant pain and suffering than the other individual. One individual might develop anxiety, PTSD, and/or depression while the other might not. Similarly, the same injuries might prevent one individual from working while they might not affect the other individual’s ability to work. Regardless, non-economic damages are usually referred to as pain and suffering and might include:- Physical pains and aches
- Emotional distress
- Persistent sleep problems
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
- Issues with concentrating
- Loss of consortium or companionship
Factors That Increase the Amount of Non-Economic Damages
- Permanent Injuries, Disabilities, and/or Chronic Pain – Persistent pain from complex wounds or invasive medical treatments, as well as permanent injuries like paralysis, amputations, or severe scarring could raise the value of your non-economic damages.
- Extreme Mental Anguish – Basically, you can receive a higher compensation amount if you suffer from extreme mental anguish and psychological complications because of the accident and injuries. This will, however, require expert testimony from your doctor and mental health professionals.
- Traumatic Accidents – If a traumatic event such as a shooting, being trapped in a car wreck, or plane crash led to your injuries, you could generally recover a higher compensation amount for your non-economic damages.