Every case has a unique settlement because every accident is different. No two cases will have the exact same injuries, so there are no set guidelines for awarding damages. For the most part, your settlement will rely on three factors: the severity of your injuries, the type of accident involved, and the skill of your attorney. If you aren’t very injured, you won’t recover very much regardless of who your lawyer is. However, the more severe the injuries get, the higher the stakes become, and a good attorney becomes invaluable. 

All damages are generally divided into two categories–punitive and compensatory. Less than one-tenth of cases will feature punitive damages, as they are reserved for the most brutal examples of negligence. For the most part, only cases involving death or serious injury (paralysis, cancer, etc.) will discuss punitive damages. The defendant’s financial ability will also be taken into account, as these are steep fines that not everyone could reasonably pay.  

Conversely, compensatory damages are the standard forms of compensation for physical and emotional injuries. They typically include:  

• Medical costs
• Property damage
• Lost wages, damage to future earnings
• Disability 
• Loss of enjoyment 
• Pain and suffering 
• Loss of companionship

As a general rule, non-economic damages are always harder to recover than economic ones. That is because economic damages can be easily tallied (medical bills, property damage, lost wages), whereas non-economic damages such as loss of enjoyment are heavily dependent on evidence and attorneys’ techniques. However, when you come to Van Law Firm, that is not something you have to worry about.