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September 30th, 2024 If you’ve been injured because of someone else’s careless or reckless actions, you may be compensated for your losses. These losses are called “damages” in legal terms. At Hess Injury Law, we know the ins and outs of personal injury cases in Oregon. Our job is to make sure you get every penny you deserve for what you’ve gone through.
There are three main categories of damages you can pursue: economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. Let’s break them down one by one.
Economic damages are the clear-cut financial losses caused by your injury. These include:
This covers all your medical expenses related to the injury – things like emergency room visits, hospital stays, doctor appointments, surgery costs, medication, physical therapy, and any future medical needs. The costs of medical care just keep rising, so these bills can really add up fast.
If your injury forced you to miss work, you can get compensated for those lost wages. But it doesn’t stop there. If your injury has permanently impacted your ability to earn a living like you used to, we’ll fight to get you coverage for that lost future income, too.
Sometimes accidents can damage your personal property like your car or other valuables. You can get reimbursed for repair or replacement costs.
There are lots of smaller expenses that can pile up, too – things like transportation costs to and from medical appointments, hiring in-home care services if you need assistance, or even modifying your home or vehicle to accommodate your injuries.
While economic damages cover your financial hits, non-economic damages make up for the personal and emotional impacts of your injury. These are harder to quantify but just as important.
This covers not just your physical pain from the injury itself but also the mental and emotional suffering you’ve endured. The anxiety, stress, and overall life disruption caused by your accident all fall under this category.
If your injury has prevented you from participating in hobbies, recreational activities, or other parts of life you once enjoyed, you can get compensated for that loss, too.
Serious injuries put huge strains on families and personal relationships. If your injury has negatively affected your relationship with a spouse, parent, child, or other loved one, we can pursue “loss of consortium” damages.
Non-economic damages are tricky because you can’t just add up bills and receipts. But Oregon courts have set precedents we rely on to properly value the impacts on your life.
The last category, punitive damages, is different because it’s not really about compensating you. Instead, punitive damages punish defendants for outrageously bad behavior and deter that conduct in the future.
For punitive damages to apply in Oregon, the defendant’s actions have to be “wanton” – essentially showing a shockingly reckless disregard for others’ safety. Drunk driving cases often qualify, for example.
The amount awarded is based on how egregious the defendant’s conduct was and whether a fine is needed to make them (or a rich corporation) take notice.
While punitive damages get a lot of headlines, the reality is they are relatively rare compared to economic and non-economic damages in most personal injury matters.
No matter which damages might apply in your situation, you can’t assume the insurance companies will cooperate in paying what’s fair. Their whole business depends on minimizing payouts to protect profits.
That’s where having a skilled Oregon personal injury lawyer is absolutely essential. We know all the tactics insurers use to devalue claims and how to fight back against them. With our help, we can document and calculate all the damages you’ve suffered to maximize your compensation.
If the insurance company still refuses to be reasonable, we are fully prepared to take your case to court and let a judge or jury make the final decision. Our team has successfully litigated personal injury cases of all sizes across Oregon.
The bottom line is your injury has already cost you enough. Don’t let it penalize you financially too. Contact the team at Hess Injury Law so we can start reviewing your case and getting you the complete damages award you deserve under Oregon law. The consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose by giving us a call.
Disclaimer: The content of this blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional legal counsel.
Peter J. Hess grew up in Walla Walla, Washington. He is a 1996 graduate of Walla Walla High School and a 2000 graduate of the University of Washington, with a B.A. in Business Administration/Information Systems.
Peter graduated from Willamette University College of Law, with honors, in 2007. While at Willamette, he was an Associate Editor of the Willamette Law Review, he was a Teacher’s Assistant for a Legal Research and Writing professor, and he worked as a Personal Injury Law Clerk at Swanson, Lathen, Alexander & McCann in Salem, Oregon. After graduation from Willamette, Peter began working here at Hess Injury Law. In 2012, he became a partner in the firm. He is licensed to practice law in both Washington and Oregon.
