Compensatory vs. Punitive Damages in Your Personal Injury Case

In a personal injury case, the monetary amount a plaintiff can be awarded by the jury is referred to as damages. This is how courts ensure the plaintiff is paid back fairly for injuries and financial losses pertaining to the incident. Damages awarded fall into two categories:

Compensatory Damages: These are the most common type, and are meant to reimburse or compensate for things such as medical bills, injuries, lost income, even intangible losses such as pain and suffering and emotional distress. These are also known as “actual damages”.

Punitive Damages: These are not common but in some cases, punitive damages are added to compensatory damages as a punishment to the defendant for intentional misconduct or reckless or excessively negligent behavior. Punitive damages are meant to help prevent the defendant from repeating the same behavior in the future, as well as providing consequences to discourage others from acting in a similar manner. Punitive damages are included in about 5% of verdicts.

Remember, every case is different. There are many circumstances, details, and evidence that must be taken into account to determine your damages. It’s important to speak with a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible to maximize your recovery.

An experienced personal injury attorney and will always put your interests first. Contact an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury attorney at Jones Law Group today. When you contact our office we will immediately either put you on the phone with one of our attorneys, or set an appointment where you will meet your attorney and be provided with his/her contact information. If you do not have transportation or you cannot drive, your attorney will travel to meet you and discuss your case with you.

Call an experienced personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg at Jones Law Group at (727) 571-1333 during regular business hours or (727) 753-8657 on weekends or after regular business hours. We will evaluate your case for free and you will never pay us a dime unless we recover compensation for your injuries.

Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL 33707

Personal Injury

https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/compensatory-vs-punitive-damages-understanding-personal-injury-settlements-33232

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/actual_damages

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/punitive_damages