Punitive damages are only available in some civil cases. This is when a defendant engages in some kind of reckless or malicious behavior to cause harm to others.
New Orleans, LA – When someone has been hurt by a truck driver, they are always able to file a civil accident lawsuit for compensation. Most of these cases will be settled between the plaintiff and the defendant for a sum of money. There are specific rules that dictate what kinds of compensation the plaintiff can ask for, and the amount awarded tends to coincide with the severity of the accident. It is always best for a victim to get personalized legal advice during a consultation to try to determine how much a trucking company will owe them.
Economic damages
This is a broad term for any kind of losses that the victim can prove through bills, invoices, and other kinds of documentation. Things like medical treatment costs and lost wages tend to be a large part of economic damages. A victim can also factor in things like property repairs, as well as future projected losses due to the need for continuing medical treatment and disabilities that may affect their career. Economic damages tend to be directly related to the severity of the truck collision and the victim’s documented losses, as there must be some kind of relation between the amounts that the attorney asks for and the amount of losses that the victim can show.
Non-economic damages
A victim can receive compensation for losses such as physical pain, trauma, mental health issues, and reductions in their quality of life. This is sometimes referred to as damages for pain and suffering. While it can be difficult to assign a number to non-economic damages, some truck accident lawyers have negotiation skills that help them ask for a substantial amount of compensation when necessary. Truck accident cases in Louisiana that award large amounts of compensation for pain and suffering also tend to be those where the victim has serious and noteworthy injuries and problems after an accident.
Punitive damages
Punitive damages are only available in some civil cases. This is when a defendant engages in some kind of reckless or malicious behavior to cause harm to others. These amounts are not tied to any specific losses, but rather meant to punish the defendant. Under Louisiana law, punitive damages have only been awarded in drunk driving accident cases. This means that other motor vehicle accidents where a driver was simply negligent, but not intoxicated, will not allow the plaintiff to collect punitive damages.
More information about finding a lawyer in Louisiana
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