Houston Car Accident Lawyers Ready to Fight for You

In Texas, someone injured in an auto accident may be eligible to recover compensation for relevant expenses incurred in the collision. We refer to these expenses as damages. Often, you’ll receive compensation for these damages through an insurance policy. It does not come directly from the at-fault driver. 

There are several forms of recoverable damages in Texas motor vehicle accident claims. However, there are three categories that they fit into: economic damages, non-economic, and punitive damages. Additionally, if someone dies in a car accident, they may be eligible for a survivor action and wrongful death claim. 

Economic Damages

Economic damages encompass the physical financial losses as well as any hardships caused by the accident. This may include: 

• Medical Bills: Severe injuries may incur significant medical expenses immediately after the incident and potentially throughout your life. Current and future medical expenses, cognitive therapy, physical therapy, emergency medicine or ambulance fees, medical accessories, medical devices, and in-home medical care required due to a present or permanent disability are examples of recoverable economic damages.
• Property Damage: If the other driver in the accident is at fault, you may be entitled to compensation for property damages. Typically, this includes the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle. However, it may extend to other property damaged in the accident.
• Lost Income: If an accident or injury prevents you from going back to work, even for a brief period, your lost income and any resulting hardship, such as missed mortgage payments or rent, are recoverable damages as well. This may apply to hospitalization, medical appointments, and temporary disability.
• Reduced Earning Capacity: If your injury impacts your future ability to earn pay, you may be eligible for damages based on past earnings. Generally, the calculation of potential wages may include your age, experience, occupation, skill, or life expectancy. 

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages provide coverage for the abstract ways in which an injury impacts your life. Because of that intangible nature, the amount you recover depends on your lawyer’s ability to provide proof of the valuation. 

Per Section 41.001 (12) of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Texas includes pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment, damage to reputation, and other nonpecuniary losses. 

• Disfigurement: When mental suffering accompanies disfigurement or severe scarring in a personal injury claim, compensation may be available. Physical impairment, reduced quality of life, loss of companionship, and other damages that cannot be measured via financial value are also recoverable.
• Pain and Suffering: Texas law allows you to assign a monetary value to the pain and suffering that results from an injury. This encompasses multiple factors, including the severity and type of the injury, the duration of the pain, and the likelihood of continued pain or suffering. 

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are limited to accidents that involve intentional harm or particularly reckless behavior. Typically, punitive damages are a consequence reserved for individuals or entities as a warning against similar behavior from the offender or others.