After an accident causes serious injuries, the financial burden can be overwhelming. Medical bills, lost wages, and property damage create immediate financial stress. However, some losses extend far beyond what appears on a billing statement. Pain, emotional distress, and the inability to enjoy life as you once did represent real harm that deserves compensation. Missouri law recognizes these intangible losses through non-economic damages, providing a pathway for injury victims to seek fair compensation for their suffering.
At Hollis Law Firm, our lawyer understands how devastating injuries can impact every aspect of your life in Kansas and Missouri. We work to ensure accident victims receive full compensation for both their financial losses and the profound personal impact their injuries create. If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, understanding your rights to non-economic damages is essential for pursuing the compensation you deserve.
What Are Non-Economic Damages?
Non-economic damages compensate injury victims for losses that don’t have a clear monetary value. Unlike medical bills or lost paychecks, these damages address the human cost of an injury. They recognize that harm extends beyond financial statements to affect your daily life, relationships, and overall well-being.
Missouri law allows injury victims to seek compensation for several types of non-economic losses:
- Physical pain and suffering from the injury itself
- Emotional distress, anxiety, and mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life and inability to participate in activities you once loved
- Disfigurement or permanent scarring
- Loss of companionship or consortium for family members
These damages acknowledge that serious injuries create ripples throughout your entire life. A broken bone heals, but the fear of driving after a serious car accident may linger for years. Scarring from an injury may heal physically, but the emotional impact of visible disfigurement can affect your confidence and relationships indefinitely.
How Missouri Calculates Non-Economic Damages
Determining the value of non-economic damages presents unique challenges because these losses don’t come with receipts or invoices. Missouri courts consider multiple factors when evaluating these claims. The severity and permanence of your injuries play a significant role, as do the extent of your pain and the treatment required.
Courts also examine how your injuries have altered your daily life. If you can no longer play with your children, pursue hobbies you once enjoyed, or maintain the same quality of relationships, these changes matter. The duration of your recovery and whether you’ll experience permanent limitations also influence the compensation amount.
Your personal injury attorney will gather evidence to demonstrate the full scope of your non-economic losses. This may include testimony from medical professionals about your prognosis, statements from family members about changes they’ve observed, and your own accounts of how the injury has affected your life.Â
Building a Strong Case for Non-Economic Damages
Successfully recovering non-economic damages requires thorough documentation and compelling evidence. While these losses may be intangible, the impact they create is very real and deserves recognition.
Start by maintaining detailed records of how your injuries affect your daily life. Keep a journal documenting your pain levels, emotional struggles, and activities you can no longer perform. Photographs of visible injuries and medical records documenting your treatment create important evidence. Statements from family members, friends, and coworkers who’ve witnessed changes in your behavior or capabilities can provide powerful testimony about your losses.
Contact Hollis Law Firm for Help With Your Personal Injury Case
Non-economic damages represent a critical component of fair compensation after an accident. These damages acknowledge that your suffering extends beyond medical bills to encompass the profound ways injuries change your life. At Hollis Law Firm, we fight for our clients’ rights to full compensation for both their economic and non-economic losses. Our lawyer has the knowledge and dedication to build strong cases that demonstrate the true impact of your injuries.Â
Don’t let insurance companies minimize your suffering or pressure you into accepting inadequate compensation. Contact us today to discuss your case and learn how we can help you pursue the compensation you deserve.
