When you suffer an injury due to the negligent or reckless actions of another person, you may need the help of a Personal Injury Attorney in Charleston SC to recover compensation for your losses through a personal injury lawsuit. In some cases, you may also be able to recover punitive damages. Punitive damages are designed to punish the defendant and can lead to a much larger recovery than compensatory damages alone. In this article, we'll explore the basics of punitive damages in personal injury cases and how they work in Texas and Georgia. Yes, it is possible to recover punitive damages in a personal injury case in Texas and Georgia.
However, Texas law also imposes limits on punitive damages. To recover punitive damages, the court must determine that the defendant's behavior was egregious. If the defendant faces criminal charges, punitive damages can be applied. Punitive damages multiply the total amount of damages that you, the plaintiff, could recover through the personal injury lawsuit.
In serious accident disputes, this type of compensation for damages can sometimes lead to a multi-million dollar recovery. Attorneys calculate compensatory economic damages by collecting and counting all the expenses and lost wages that their clients have incurred so far as a result of an injury, and evaluating (sometimes with the help of medical and financial experts) the possible future costs that their clients will face in the future. They calculate non-economic compensatory damages by working with their clients to understand the full extent of the difficulties and challenges that have caused the injuries, and then translating those damages into a dollar amount that is within the range of what lawyers have seen victims pay in similar cases. Non-economic damages, also known as general damages, non-pecuniary damages, or non-monetary damages, represent all other types of damages that a personal injury can cause without a fixed dollar value associated with them. If you suffer injuries in an avoidable accident and plan to file a personal injury lawsuit, even with the help of an experienced lawyer, you're likely to find legal terminology that isn't familiar to you. The jury's instructions on punitive damages must be clear as to the requirements for awarding punitive damages. Some examples of cases in which punitive damages can be awarded include cases of drunk driving accidents that resulted in injury or death, product liability cases in which the manufacturer concealed hazards or defects, and cases of medical negligence involving extreme recklessness or deliberate conduct. If you or a loved one have questions about the compensation that can be recovered through a personal injury lawsuit, an experienced personal injury lawyer can provide answers.
A personal injury lawyer can tell you more about whether or not you may be eligible to receive punitive compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. If your lawyer believes that you might have the right to seek punitive compensation, he or she will explain the options you have to seek it. However, when available, it is important that you and your lawyer work hard to obtain this type of compensation for damages. Attorneys will also consider those laws when deciding whether to recommend that a client seek punitive compensation.