If you have suffered a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to take legal action to collect financial compensation for your economic and non-economic damages. Oftentimes, injured parties are not familiar with what these legal terms represent in a personal injury case. Economic and non-economic damages represent various types of losses you may have incurred due to your injuries. Unfortunately, individuals suffer both physical and mental injuries that negatively affect their lives. Those that suffer life-altering injuries may not be able to enjoy participating in activities they previously enjoyed before an accident. Keep reading to discover what loss of enjoyment of life represents in a personal injury case represents and learn how our compassionate New York City Personal Injury Lawyer can help you today.
What is loss of enjoyment of life in a personal injury lawsuit?
In a personal injury case, if you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to significant compensation for your economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages can be regarded as any out-of-pocket financial losses. These types of damages are typically easier to calculate as they are quantifiable. Economic damages may include medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, lost earning capacity, vocational rehabilitation, and household services. Non-economic damages on the other hand are more difficult to calculate as they are not quantifiable. Non-economic damages are subjective losses. Non-economic damages may include pain, suffering, inconvenience, emotional distress, loss of society and companionship, and loss of enjoyment of life.
The legal concept of loss of enjoyment of life is considered non-economic damage as it falls into the category of pain and suffering you experience because of an accident and injury. In legal terms, loss of enjoyment of life refers to the impact your injury has had on your quality of life. Essentially, loss of enjoyment arises from an inability to engage in certain activities in the way you used to engage in them before the accident that caused your injuries. This may include working, hobbies, or sports. For example, if you once enjoyed playing basketball with your friends on the weekends and now your injuries are preventing you from participating in this previously enjoyed activity, your injuries are decreasing your quality of life. Generally, it can be quite difficult to prove that you’ve suffered this type of non-economic damage. However, your attorney can work in conjunction with a mental health expert that can help the court understand the impact the injury has had on your emotional well-being and quality of life.
If you have suffered a major injury due to someone else’s negligence, please contact one of our skilled and determined team members. Our firm is committed to helping our clients recover fair compensation for their injuries. Allow our firm to fight on your behalf today!