Economic vs. Non-Economic Damages

Personal injury compensation is divided into two categories: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover your concrete financial losses—the expenses you can document with receipts, invoices, and pay stubs.

Non-economic damages address something equally real but harder to quantify: the physical pain, emotional suffering, and diminished quality of life that follow a serious injury. Both categories matter tremendously in your recovery and understanding how they work helps you recognize the full value of your claim. Contact our personal injury lawyers in St. George to learn more.

Economic Damages in Personal Injury Cases

Medical Expenses

Medical expenses refer to everything from emergency room visits and ambulance transport to surgery, hospitalization, prescription medications, physical therapy, and any treatment you require in the future. You are entitled to recover costs for all reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to your injury, whether you have already paid those bills or they’re still outstanding. 

Lost Wages 

If your injury forced you to miss work, you could recover compensation for lost wages. This includes salary, hourly pay, commissions, bonuses, and other employment benefits you would have earned during your recovery period.

You will need documentation from your employer showing your regular earnings and the time you missed due to your injury. Self-employed individuals can recover lost income as well; proving these losses often requires additional documentation like tax returns, invoices, and business records.

Future Earnings

Serious injuries sometimes create lasting impairments that affect your ability to earn income long-term. Future earnings damages compensate you for this diminished earning capacity.

If your injury prevents you from returning to your previous occupation, forces you to accept lower-paying work, or limits your advancement opportunities, you can seek compensation for these future financial losses. 

Property Damage

When accidents damage your vehicle, clothing, electronics, or other personal property, you are entitled to recover the cost of repairs or replacement value. Document property damage with photographs, repair estimates, and receipts for any items you have already replaced.

Non-Economic Damages in Personal Injury Cases

Physical Pain and Impairments

This category addresses your ongoing discomfort, chronic pain, reduced mobility, scarring, disfigurement, and loss of physical function. Whether you’re dealing with constant back pain, limited range of motion, or visible deformities that affect your self-image, these damages acknowledge that some injuries create lasting physical burdens that extend far beyond the initial trauma.

Emotional Distress and Mental Anguish

Serious injuries often trigger anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, sleep disturbances, and other psychological effects. Emotional distress damages compensate you for the mental suffering, fear, worry, and emotional turmoil your injury has caused.

These damages also cover loss of enjoyment of life when injuries prevent you from participating in activities, hobbies, and experiences that previously brought you fulfillment and joy.

Get Help Maximizing Your Personal Injury Compensation

Maximizing your compensation means capturing the full value of both your tangible losses and the intangible ways your injury has diminished your quality of life. We Win Injury Law brings the skill and experience necessary to document and argue for the complete scope of your damages.

Your attorney will gather medical testimony, expert analysis, and compelling evidence to demonstrate how your injury has affected your daily life, relationships, and future well-being.

Contact a Utah personal injury lawyer today for a free consultation and develop a strategy for maximizing every dollar you’re entitled to recover.