Auto Accident Attorney in Las Vegas, NV

Whether it’s an auto accident, medical malpractice, wrongful death, or other negligence case, a personal injury attorney is going to be helping you get the compensation you deserve for your losses. In the legal field, we refer to these losses as damages.

In the aftermath of an act of negligence, the plaintiff in the case has a right to be “made whole” after his or her loss, so when calculating the amount of your compensation, one must assess the extent of the damages; of which there are several types:

General Compensatory Damages: As the name implies, this refers to the type of damages that everyone involved in a personal injury case generally has in some form or another (i.e. pain and suffering, loss of companionship and mental anguish). Most of these damages are non-monetary and the “value” of these damages are assessed by the personal cost of attempting to alleviate the damage and the length of recovery. The validity and significance of this is bolstered by the proper documentation of the recovery process: journaling, photos, invoices, receipts, and other records.

Specialty Compensatory Damages: These are damages amassed as a result of an injury. This includes the direct losses such as medical bills and subsequent cost of medical care as well as the indirect losses like the loss of earnings from being unable to work or the costs regarding a cancelled trip. These damages are mostly monetary and can be validated by invoices, receipts, and pay history.

Wrongful Death Damages: This has the format of both general and special damages as this is related to all the losses, both direct and indirect, that one amasses due the death of a loved one. This includes the loss of finances, services and support, funeral expenses, and mental distress from the loss of companionship.

Punitive Damages: Damages in this category apply when an injured plaintiff has suffered a loss by means of a heinous or nefarious act (ex. Sexual assault, financial fraud, etc.) A civil jury usually decides when a plaintiff deserves punitive damage and compensation is often compounded in the event that the defendant is “high profile” or very “well off.”

No matter what kind of damages you’re seeking, the most important thing is that you never sell yourself short. Remember that you are ultimately seeking justice for your damages and that each and every loss is important and should be brought to light to be counted in your case.