If you’re considering filing a legal claim after suffering serious injuries in an incident or accident caused by a property owner’s negligence, you can rather easily add up the expenses of hospital stays, surgery, physical therapy and the financial costs of missing work. These are economic or monetary damages.
Limits to Noneconomic Damages in Texas
You may also be able to seek noneconomic damages as well. Here in Texas, the law allows plaintiffs to get settlements and verdicts for up to $250,000 for noneconomic damages. In a claim against the state (for example, if you fell on a slippery floor at the DMV), the limit is $100,000.
Types of Noneconomic Damages
The best-known type of noneconomic damages are those for pain and suffering. This can include physical pain and well as mental or emotional pain.
Other types of noneconomic damages include:
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disfigurement
Loss of consortium has long been tied to the inability to have sex because of injuries. However, it can also be used for any disruption to a person’s relationship with close family members, including their children.
For example, a person’s injuries may prevent them from playing with their children, driving them to school, or engaging in many of their usual parental activities.
How Do You Know What Noneconomic Damages are Worth?
An experienced personal injury attorney can attach a dollar figure to noneconomic damages and work to present a strong case for why you deserve compensation for them as well as for expenses and financial losses caused by an injury.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s actions or negligence, it’s wise to seek legal guidance as soon as possible. The statute of limitations for most of these cases in Texas is two years. Further, the sooner your attorney can begin collecting evidence, the stronger your case is likely to be.
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