For most preventable accidents that result in severe injuries in Las Vegas, Nevada law permits the victim to file a personal injury claim against the at-fault party to recover compensation for harm suffered.
Many remedies are available to an injured person. The most common one is the award of damages.
The amount of money the injured person recovers from the person or entity that caused the injury can be termed ‘damages’.
The term ‘Damages’ refers to the sum of money that the law imposes on the defendant for a breach of some duty towards another party or violation of some right.
There are three types of personal injury damages in Nevada – economic, non-economic, and punitive.
Nevada laws compensate accident victims for injuries and damages caused by the carelessness, recklessness, and negligence of others. Given below are the types of damages that a victim of a personal injury may be able to recover in Las Vegas:
Economic Damages
Past Medical Costs
Medical bills are the victims’ most significant single expense in most personal injury claims. The victims of their injuries require adequate medical care and treatment. Medical expenses generally include the cost of hospital stays, medical treatments (including surgery and lab tests), physical therapy, rehabilitation, and pain management bills,
expenses related to doctor’s appointments, cost of prescription medication, costs of at-home or nursing home caretaking, and transportation (including ambulance).
Future Medical Costs
After initial treatment and rehabilitation, victims often require further medical care in the future. Medical expert testimonies from doctors and therapists can establish that the victim requires other extensive treatment.
Lost Wages And Business Income
Whether employed, self-employed or business owners, victims are entitled to recover compensation for the time spent away from their work or business.
Loss Of Future Earning Capacity
Some injuries harm victims in such a manner that they are no longer able to do the job that they were doing before the accident. A victim may change from a full-time to a part-time job or move from a highly-paid job to a lower remuneration position. In such cases, additional compensation may be awarded.
Permanent Injury And Disability
Some injuries have life-long implications on the health of victims. These victims may never recover fully from their injuries.
Those disabled require changes to their living spaces to accommodate them.
Modifications to the home are often expensive.
Widened doorways and wheelchair ramp installations may be required at home. Disabled victims may also need installations in the bedroom or bathroom to help them access these areas of the house more freely.
In Las Vegas wrongful death claims, economic damages can be sought in the form of medical costs that the decedent incurred as a result of the injuries before death, loss of the deceased victim’s future income, funeral, and burial costs, loss of inheritance as a result of the end, and value of services that the deceased victim would have provided.
Non-Economic Damages
Pain And Suffering
Some injuries cause pain that can be highly debilitating. Such pain is accompanied by emotional suffering and stress. Nevada law allows victims to collect compensation for such sufferings.
Emotional Distress
Other mental and emotional illnesses can arise from injuries sustained in an accident. If proven by experts, emotional distress can support a victim’s claim for further compensation.
Loss Of Consortium
Injuries sustained in accidents can limit and restrict a victim’s essential life functions resulting in loss of love, affection, and companionship. Under the loss of consortium, victims can claim damages for physical isolation and loneliness suffered due to their injuries.
Loss Of Enjoyment Of Life
Victims of accidents, falls, or animal attacks are entitled to compensation if they cannot participate in physical, social, and recreational activities which they enjoyed participating in before sustaining injuries.
In Las Vegas wrongful death claims, in addition to the above non-economic damages, legal heirs can seek compensation for loss of care, guidance, and nurturing that the decedent would have provided to their family and for minor children’s lost parental companionship, instruction, and advice.
A surviving spouse can receive compensation for lost companionship and protection too.
Punitive Damages
These damages do not compensate for any losses. The purpose of punitive damages is to punish the wrongdoer and deter others from engaging in similar conduct.
If the Nevada courts believe that the amount of compensatory damages awarded to you does not sufficiently deter the at-fault party (the defendant) from committing the same negligent act again. In that case, they may reward you with punitive damages.
In Nevada, punitive damages are capped at $300,000 when your compensatory damages are less than $100,000, or three times the amount of compensatory damages if the amount is $100,000 or more.
Pacific West Injury Law – We Can Help You Recover A Fair And Just Compensation
Pacific West Injury Law has provided precise, ethical, compassionate, and cost-effective legal representation to Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas residents for over a decade.
We are ready to put our extensive experience, knowledge, and resources behind your case. Such drive, desire, and commitment to serve local Las Vegas communities have been pivotal in our firm achieving phenomenal success through verdicts and settlements worth millions of dollars in Las Vegas and neighboring communities.
Contact a Personal Injury lawyer at our law firm for a confidential free case evaluation. We have years of experience and understanding of personal injury laws to put behind your case.
