If you were involved in an accident in Kent, you could pursue a claim for compensation against those responsible for your injuries, whether they were an individual or a company. The payment you will receive depends on the extent of your injuries and the nature of the accident.
To file your claim, you will need a personal injury attorney in Kent to help you defend your case. You will be the plaintiff. The person or company legally responsible for your injury will be the defendant, and the money that you will receive is called compensatory damages.
In a personal injury case such as yours, damages might also be required from the defendant as punishment for negligence or unruly conduct that resulted in someone’s injuries. These money damages are called punitive damages. Defendants rarely get punitive damages, but they still happen.
Moving on, there are two types of compensatory damages that you should know about: economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages compensate for monetary losses, such as lost wages or medical expenses. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, compensate damages that cannot be easily given with a monetary value, such as emotional suffering and pain.
Here's a quick explanation of the most common kinds of damages in personal injury cases:
Medical Expenses and Treatment
Medical expenses include all medical treatment, rehabilitation, and care you have paid for and will continue to pay for in the future as a result of an injury or accident. This is applicable even if you need to receive medical treatments for the rest of your life.
Loss of Income and Earning Capacity
Damages to loss of income and earning capacity depend on how the accident or injury affected your salary and wages. Also, you will be paid an income that you should’ve been able to earn had it not been for the accident that occurred.
Loss of Property
Aside from damages paid for medical expenses and loss of income, you might also receive compensation for property loss, replacement, or repair. It is often considered if your property has been damaged beyond repair or has no more salvage value.
Emotional Distress
This is usually linked to more serious accidents. You might be able to receive compensation for this if there is clear evidence of psychological impact due to an injury. If you experience sleep loss, anxiety, and fear, you can get compensated for emotional distress damages.
Pain and Suffering
In some states, pain and suffering are part of emotional distress damage. It is compensation for any pain or discomfort you suffered during and after an accident.
Please be informed that there is a time limit within which you must file your claim. The law governing this time limit is called the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations in Washington State is three years.
The court starts counting from the date of your injury or accident until the three-year period is up. Failure to abide by this time limit will forfeit your claim to any kind of compensation.
