Sadly, accidents and injuries occur frequently, although people don’t always realize that they can obtain compensation for them. In Georgia alone, around 78,000 non-fatal workplace injuries occur every year, while motor vehicle collisions are the second-leading cause of hospitalizations and ER visits in the state. However, it’s unintentional falls that cause the majority of non-fatal injuries across the U.S., with more than 8 million people sustaining this type of harm each year.
As accidents can occur at any time, it’s important to know what your rights are following this type of incident. If you’ve been injured in Atlanta due to an incident that wasn’t wholly your fault, you can claim various types of damages, such as:
1. Special Damages
These are damages that are designed to replace the money you’ve lost as a result of the incident and can usually be assigned a particular monetary amount. Special damages might cover the cost of your medical expenses, for example, as well as lost income, damage to property (including your vehicle), and the cost of household services while you’re incapacitated.
It’s important to remember that special damages can be calculated to cover future costs as well. If you’re likely to need ongoing medical treatment or you will be unable to return to work due to your injuries, for example, future economic loss should be represented in the amount of special damages you receive.
2. General Damages
Sometimes known as ‘non-economic damages’, these are less quantifiable than special damages but no less important. General damages often include things like pain and suffering, disability, and emotional anguish. To determine how much you should be awarded in general damages, various factors are taken into account, including the severity of your injuries and the impact they have or will have on your life, the pain you have experienced or will experience, and the fear or shock associated with the injury.
3. Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are only awarded in certain circumstances and are designed to punish the wrongdoer. If someone caused your injuries through ‘willful misconduct’ or ‘want of care’, for example, punitive damages might be included in your claim.
Claiming Personal Injury Compensation in Atlanta
As you can see, there are many things to consider when calculating how much compensation you’re owed after an accident. Due to this, it’s important to call a personal injury lawyer if you’ve been injured in Atlanta. You won’t automatically receive a set amount of compensation, so you’ll be relying on your attorney to represent you and obtain the maximum amount of compensation possible.
With help from an experienced legal team, you can first ensure that liability is proven, which establishes your right to compensation. Then, your personal injury lawyers will provide evidence to show the economic losses you’ve suffered due to the incident, as well as the non-economic damage you’ve sustained.
Whether your claim proceeds to court or is resolved via a settlement, you can be confident that the issue will be resolved more quickly and more satisfactorily when you have a personal injury attorney working on your behalf.
