If someone else's carelessness hurts you, you might be thinking about compensation to cover your losses. You have medical bills. You missed work. These costs add up fast. It can feel overwhelming.
You need help to make things right. That is why getting help from a Jacksonville, TX personal injury lawyer is so important. They work hard to help injured people get special damages to recover.
What are special damages in a personal injury lawsuit?
The bills you get after an injury, or the money you lost because you could not work, are real costs and have exact dollar amounts.
These specific costs are the special damages in a personal injury case. They are different from other damages, like money for your pain, which is harder to put an exact number on. Special damages cover the actual financial losses suffered because of the accident and the resulting injuries.
It is very important to keep track of all these costs. Every bill and every receipt matters because special damages are meant to pay an injured person back for the money they lost or had to spend because someone else was not careful. If a careless driver hits your car, the cost to fix the car is a special damage.
If you slipped on a wet floor in a store because there was no warning sign, your hospital bill is a special damage. Also, if you missed weeks of work because of your injury, the paychecks you did not get are special damages.
Proving these damages takes work. You need proof. You need documents. Insurance companies might try to say the costs are not related to the accident and try to pay less than what was really lost.
A personal injury attorney knows how to collect all the proof needed. They gather medical bills, get records of lost wages from the employer, and find receipts for things like medicine or crutches. Their goal is to ensure every single cost is counted.
The Types Of Costs That Fall Under Special Damages
Medical Expenses
These are often the biggest part of special damages and include everything related to medical care because of the injury. The cost includes the ambulance ride right after the accident and the emergency room visit.
It covers hospital stays, surgeries, and doctor appointments. It also includes physical therapy, chiropractic care, and any special medical equipment needed, like a wheelchair or walker.
Even the cost of prescription medicine counts. Very importantly, special damages include future medical costs, too. If a doctor says more surgery will be needed later or ongoing therapy for years, lawyers work to figure out how much that will cost.
They might consult medical experts to understand future needs. The goal is to ensure the money received covers care needed down the road, not just the bills already received. Proving future medical costs requires careful planning and evidence, something skilled attorneys have experience at handling.
Lost Earnings
When someone is hurt, they often cannot work. The money lost from missing work is a special damage. This is usually easy to prove with pay stubs or a letter from an employer showing the pay rate and missed time. But what if the injury is so bad the person cannot go back to their old job?
What if they cannot earn as much money as before? This is called lost earning capacity. It is also a type of special damage. Proving lost earning capacity is more complex. Lawyers might work with financial experts or vocational specialists.
These experts help show how the injuries will affect the ability to earn money for the rest of the person's working life.
Property Damage
If property was damaged in the accident, the cost to fix or replace it is a special damage. The most common example is damage to a car in a car accident. The cost of repairs, or the value of the car if it was totaled, can be claimed.
This could also include other things damaged, like a bicycle, eyeglasses, or even clothing ruined in the accident. Repair estimates or proof of the item's value are needed. Personal injury lawyers help gather this proof and make sure the insurance company offers a fair amount for the damaged property.
Other Out-of-Pocket Costs
Sometimes there are other expenses directly caused by the injury. Maybe someone had to pay for taxis or rideshares to get to doctor appointments because they could not drive.
Maybe they needed to hire someone to help with chores around the house, or special medical supplies had to be purchased. Receipts should be kept for everything. These smaller costs add up. Personal injury lawyers help identify all these extra expenses. They make sure these costs are included in the claim for special damages.
Calculating special damages seems simple for past costs like bills already paid. But it gets complicated quickly, especially with future costs. Insurance companies often argue about what is necessary or reasonable. They might question future medical needs or the inability to work. They have teams of people working to pay as little as possible.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney to Recover the Special Damages
An experienced personal injury attorney knows how to build a strong case for special damages. They collect detailed evidence, work with medical and financial experts when needed, and understand the rules for proving these losses. They present the claim clearly and forcefully to the insurance company. If the insurer refuses to pay what is fair, a lawyer should be ready to take the case to court.
The goal of legal representation is to make sure the injured person gets back every dollar lost because of someone else's actions. Lawyers handle the paperwork, the phone calls, and the negotiations. This lets the injured person focus on getting better. Dealing with the financial side of an injury is stressful.
Letting a lawyer take that burden off your shoulders is wise. They fight for your rights and for the full amount of special damages you deserve. Without a lawyer, you might miss out on claiming certain costs or accept an offer that does not cover future needs. Do not let that happen. Call a personal injury lawyer for help.