What Are Non-Economic Damages in a South Carolina Car Crash?

After a car crash, victims may immediately experience medical and financial challenges. They may incur hospital bills and months of missed work. This missed work can result in the total loss of income, making hospital bills that much more difficult to pay. However, victims may also experience notable “non-economic damages.” What exactly are non-economic damages, and how can a South Carolina auto accident lawyer help you obtain compensation for these losses?

Non-Economic Damages Are Psychological or Emotional Losses

Non-economic damages represent your psychological or emotional losses after a car accident. The word “non-economic” refers to the fact that these losses are not represented by clear dollar amounts. Your feelings and psychological challenges do not “cost” you a certain amount of money, but they do take a legitimate toll on your life. Instead of paying for these damages with your money, you pay for them with stress, anguish, and suffering.

What Are Some Examples of Non-Economic Damages After a Car Accident?

There are numerous potential examples of non-economic damages after a car accident. Victims commonly claim “pain & suffering,” “mental anguish,” and “emotional distress.” While some might argue that there are some slight differences between these concepts, the phrases are effectively interchangeable. All refer to the general psychological and emotional stress one might experience after a car accident. This might include the pain of medical treatment, the shock of a near-death experience, and the trauma after the accident is over.

Non-economic damages can also be much more specific. Disfigurement is a notable example, which refers exclusively to the blemishes and scars that may accompany certain injuries. These include permanent burns, scars, amputations, and other permanent wounds that never truly heal. These injuries can take a massive toll on a person’s self-confidence and overall psychological well-being. This is why victims can pursue additional compensation for disfigurement.

Another common issue for car crash survivors is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a distinct psychological condition that often arises after traumatic or near-death experiences. Once thought to be exclusive to military duty, psychologists now recognize that PTSD can affect virtually anyone, including car accident survivors. PTSD patients may experience flashbacks, nightmares, new phobias, social withdrawal, irritability, aggressiveness, and many other symptoms.

“Loss of enjoyment of life” may also occur after car accidents. This type of non-economic damage is associated with debilitating injuries that prevent victims from engaging in their favorite pastimes. For example, a victim with an amputated leg may lose the ability to play soccer. A paraplegic may lose the ability to go hiking. These damages can lead to additional compensation.

Can a South Carolina Auto Accident Lawyer Help Me Get Compensation? 

A South Carolina auto accident lawyer may be able to help you recover compensation for both economic and non-economic damages. Although psychological and emotional losses are often quite subtle, they are completely legitimate after a car accident. You have every right to pursue compensation for these damages, and you can do so alongside Mickelsen & Dalton, LLC.

Sources: 

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23984-paraplegia

sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305417999000650