What Are Special Damages?

Personal injury law is full of highly specific terms. You may be wondering what all the terms mean and how they affect your case. If you have a personal injury case open, you may have heard the term “damages”. Damages refers to the money you will be awarded as compensation for the losses you sustained as a result of the liable party’s negligence. Damages are divided into general and special damages. Your special damages are those that result from actual monetary losses that you suffered as a result of the liable party’s negligence. These are your out of pocket costs that you will be compensated for when you settle. Special damages typically include medical bills, loss of earnings, and property damage. Special damages are often fairly simple to calculate, but sometimes they must take into account future costs you will incur. If your injuries resulted in a permanent disability, for example, your special damages may need to reflect the cost of future medical care for that disability.

As you can imagine, this area of personal injury law gets very complex. It is not uncommon for these types of cases to go to trial because so much is at stake, and the final amount must be calculated very carefully to take into account the present and future costs of medical care. General damages, also called non-economic damages, result naturally from the action of the liable party. These are different from the indirect financial losses you incurred. General damages can include such things as pain and suffering and mental anguish. These are not easy to calculate because they vary so greatly from case to case.

If you are involved in a personal injury case and have questions about your damages, it is crucial you speak with an experienced Georgia personal injury attorney. Your damages will compensate you for your losses and thus are the most important part of your case. Adding up your out of pocket costs may seem simple enough, but you may not be aware of all the costs that can be included in your claim without speaking with an attorney. Furthermore, some of your costs may need to be estimated or may need to be reduced for certain reasons, so make sure you have assistance when adding up your economic losses. Are you involved in a personal injury claim and have questions about how your settlement value will be determined?

Experienced in personal injury law, Georgia attorney Thomas C. Rowsey, P.C. can help you gather the supportive evidence needed to settle your claim. Based in Roswell, GA, Thomas C. Rowsey Attorneys at Law serves those across the greater Atlanta metropolitan area including Roswell, Alpharetta, Marietta, Milton, Cumming, Dunwoody, Johns Creek and Sandy Springs.

Contact our office today at (770) 993-5317 or fill out our online form to schedule a free consultation. Offering expert legal counsel in personal injury, criminal defense and family law, Thomas Rowsey, Attorneys at Law are here to help.