If you have suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be wondering whether it is worth it to pursue a personal injury lawsuit and how much you could recover if your claim is successful. In general, personal injury laws allow victims to recover the amount it will take to make them “whole” again—that is, return them to the condition they were in before the injury occurred. 
Victims Can Recover Many Different Costs in a Personal Injury Case
While there are many kinds of recoverable damages, the actual amount received may vary depending on each party’s portion of fault and how much a jury chooses to award a victim based on his or her circumstances. Each state has its own laws governing the amount of damages in an injury claim, and these can greatly affect the value of a case.
Common types of damages in a legal recovery in Rhode Island include:
Medical expenses.
Victims are owed the full amount of any medical treatment costs incurred as a result of someone else’s negligence. This includes treatment beginning in the emergency room through future medical care related to the injury.
Lost income.
If your injury kept you out of work, you may recover any regular wages you were unable to earn due to the accident, any overtime or bonuses you would have earned if you had not been hurt, and any future income you will lose due to an inability to perform your previous job.
Out-of-pocket costs.
A severe injury can force victims and families to spend money on unplanned expenses such as moving to a one-story home, modifying their living spaces to accommodate a disability, arranging home nursing care, or hiring someone to watch children or help with lawn maintenance.
Future losses.
A partial or total disability can rob a victim of future earning capacity, as well as rob him or her of future opportunities. For example, a woman who is paralyzed after an accident may not be able to bear children, greatly affecting her quality of life.
Pain and suffering.
Pain and suffering, or non-economic damages, is an amount awarded by the court above and beyond economic losses. While some states place limits on the amount of non-economic damages allowed in personal injury cases, Rhode Island does not cap pain and suffering damages in personal injury cases.
Have You Been Injured Due To The Negligence Of Others?
If you've been injured you need to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Warwick office directly at 401.946.3200 to schedule your free consultation. We help clients in Providence, Warwick and all areas of Rhode Island.
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