When you have been severely injured in a pedestrian accident, it is easy to feel alone. You may have injuries that require a lengthy, painful, and expensive recovery. In some cases, the prognosis may be uncertain, and medical professionals may be unable to give you the answers you want to help you plan for the future.
The dedicated pedestrian accident attorneys at Dannheisser Injury Law can help you through the aftermath of an injury. In addition to providing invaluable guidance about legal issues like damages in Sarasota pedestrian accidents, a skilled lawyer from our firm will help fill the gaps in your support network. Our goal is to help you recover from injuries by providing guidance and access to resources we have cultivated in our decades of legal service.
When people hear the word damages, they may think of the harm done to their bodies. In legal speak, those harms are defined as personal injuries. Damages refer to the compensation that the court awards people to compensate them for their injuries.
Generally, the more extensive the harm, the greater the damages. However, determining the harm is not only about the severity of the injury. It also looks at individual circumstances and considers tangible losses, like lost wages, and intangible losses, like pain and suffering. Because the intangible losses are subjective, and the tangible losses depend a lot on the individual, people with the same injury can have different damages awards. This is why it is crucial to consult a Sarasota attorney who can help you determine a fair damages amount for your pedestrian accident and pursue it on your behalf.
Because injuries and damages are intrinsically related, looking at injuries common in Sarasota pedestrian accidents is essential. Almost every injured pedestrian experiences what people think of as minor injuries—scrapes, bumps, bruises, cuts, and contusions. However, for many injured people, major injuries accompany those minor ones.
Some of the more significant injuries include harm to the spine, broken bones in the legs, hips, and pelvis, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and soft tissue injuries like whiplash. Depending on the severity of these injuries, the recovery period could range from weeks to months or even years. Not everyone will reach a recovery. Some injuries could result in full or partial paralysis, physical or cognitive disabilities, or other impairments that make it difficult to carry out daily tasks or hold down a job.
There are two broad categories of damages: compensatory and punitive.
Compensatory damages repay an injured person for the harm they have sustained, which can be economic or non-economic. They are available in most cases where the court finds that the driver was at fault for the accident. Under Florida’s comparative negligence system, the driver may be responsible even if someone contributed to the accident. Economic compensatory damages focus on repaying lost funds, like medical bills, earnings, and capacity loss. Noneconomic compensatory damages repay people for intangible losses, like pain, suffering, and mental anguish.
Punitive damages punish the wrongdoer for causing the accident. Punitive damages are not available in most cases. The wrongdoer’s behavior has to be more than negligent to justify those damages. An experienced attorney from our firm can evaluate whether punitive damages are appropriate after an accident and help determine the next steps for a claim.
A pedestrian accident is nothing to take lightly. When you have been severely injured due to another person’s negligence, you need a legal advocate on your side. Our diligent legal team at Dannheiser Injury Law can help you pursue justice.
Schedule a consultation to learn more about damages in Sarasota pedestrian accidents today and help you understand your legal options.
