Economic damages in lawsuits refer to tangible damages that both can easily be quantified and have an unchanging value. They are expenses or losses directly incurred from the actions or omissions of the defendant. If you get injured from the actions or omissions of another person, you are entitled to compensation from the individual that caused your injuries. A plaintiff has to prove the defendant’s negligence to recover economic damages from the defendant.

There are several types of economic damages. Economic damages differ from case to case depending on the injuries of the plaintiff. They include the following:

1. Medical Bills

Medical bills are a common type of economic damage. After suffering an injury, a person has to visit the hospital to receive treatment, which incurs medical bills. Medical bills can be either past or future expenses; it is important for the plaintiff to seek compensation for future medical bills to avoid paying the medical bills from their own pocket.

2. Lost Income

Lost income is another type of economic damage. An injury may cause an individual to miss work temporarily or on a permanent basis. Therefore, it is important to receive compensation for any income lost. Compensation for future income is awarded when the plaintiff can no longer work due to the injuries.

3. Damage to Property

Another type of economic damage is damage to property. This occurs mostly in car accident claims where the actions or omissions of the defendant led to the damage of the car. The plaintiff has to prove that the actions of the defendant caused damage to their property.

4. Household Services

Household services are another type of economic damage. These are services given to an injured plaintiff at their home while they are recuperating. It is important for the plaintiff to provide sufficient proof that they could not have incurred household service expenses if they were not injured.

5. Transportation Cost

Transportation cost is another type of economic damage. During your visits to the hospital while seeking treatment, you might use cabs from time to time, buy a new vehicle to suit your needs, or use different modes of transportation. Every expense incurred during such visits to the hospital has to be recovered from the defendant.

Limit on Economic Damages

In most states, there is no limit on economic damages. It is the duty of the plaintiff to sufficiently provide evidence that they have incurred certain expenses because of their injuries. As long as you can prove you incurred those expenses, you can seek compensation for them.

Recovering Economic Damages

An injured plaintiff can recover economic damages from the plaintiff after providing sufficient evidence to support their claim. You first have to know what economic damages you can recover from the defendant. A personal injury attorney can investigate your case and inform you of the type of economic damages you can recover. For example, if you previously had a housekeeper, you cannot recover those expenses even if they are taking care of you because that expense was already in your budget.

During discovery, ensure all the relevant documents to support your expenses are exchanged with the other party. Calculating economic damages can be complex through the legal process. If there is contention on various documents, experts can be called to help in determining the economic damages. Calculations will also be performed during discovery on future losses, the court does not directly accept any numbers from the plaintiff without sufficient proof.


Reach Out to a Personal Injury Attorney
Have you suffered injuries as a result of another person’s negligence and would like to be compensated? Pursuing compensation for a personal injury can be difficult and nerve-wracking. If you have questions about your injury case, contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your claim