Leesburg Florida personal injury lawyer explains the types of compensation available to an injured person in a Florida personal injury case?
In most personal injury cases, the type of damages available to the injury victim is called compensatory damages. The purpose of “compensatory damages” is to compensate the injured person for their losses. The law knows that it cannot turn back the clock so money for the losses is the next best thing.
Let’s take a look at Florida Civil Jury Instruction 501.2, which is what a Florida jury will use to determine the injured person’s damages.
- Injury, pain, disability, disfigurement, loss of capacity for enjoyment of life
- Past and Future Medical expenses
- Lost earnings, lost time, lost earning capacity
If the injuries are related to a motor vehicle accident, the jury will have to determine if the injured person either sustained a (1) permanent injury; or (2) significant scarring; or (3) significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function before it can award pain and suffering damages.
Compensatory damages are used to compensate the injured person for their losses they are not used to punish – punishment is the purposes of punitive damages.
Florida personal injury can be complex, if you have any questions about the types of compensation available after an accident, you can give me a call on my cell phone at 352-267-9168 or fill out the internet consultation form on the right hand side of the screen.