Getting injured in an accident of any sort can have far-reaching effects throughout all aspects of your life. Some of these effects are financial, like substantial medical bills and lost time at work, while others are more personal, like effects on your mental health and limitations in your day-to-day life. When your injuries have been caused by someone else’s negligence, a personal injury claim can help you recover compensation for all of these things. Understanding the different types of damages available can help you figure out how much compensation you may be able to expect.

Economic Damages

Economic damages provide compensation for any losses you have suffered as a result of your injury that have a measurable financial value. Most commonly, this includes compensation for medical expenses related to your care and treatment. You may be entitled to compensation for the care you have already received, as well as care that you are likely to need in the future. Covered medical expenses may include hospital and ambulance bills, surgery, medication, therapy, rehabilitation, and assistive devices.

Economic damages can also cover any lost wages or income resulting from your injuries, including missed work time during your recovery and for decreased earning potential due to disability or disfigurement. If you suffered property damage in the same incident in which you were injured, you may also be entitled to compensation for those losses.

Premises liability injuries are not uncommon, coming in many different forms and arising from many different circumstances. Included in premises liability is negligent security. Crimes fall under the category of negligent security when they could have been prevented or made the criminal act less likely by the use of sufficient security measures. When an individual suffers from an injury on private property due to substandard safety measures, they may be interested in pursuing damages from the property owner or tenants. 

What Constitutes Negligent Security?

When an owner or tenant of a property fails to install reasonable security measures to maintain the safety of its visitors and one of those visitors suffers an injury as a result, the owner or tenant may be liable for negligent security. Injuries that may arise from security negligence include robbery, battery, assault, or rape. 

Concussions are usually the result of a sudden, forceful impact on the head. Construction site injuries, including being struck by a falling object, slip and fall accidents, and car crashes are just some of the numerous causes of concussions. While many concussions are considered “mild” traumatic brain injuries when compared to other types of brain injuries, the results of a concussion can have a dramatic impact on a person’s life. In some cases, debilitating concussion symptoms last several months after the initial injury.

What Are the Symptoms of a Concussion?

When the brain moves within the skull, it may impact the inside of the skull and become damaged. The first symptoms of a concussion are unconsciousness, memory loss, confusion, headache, vomiting, and dizziness. Someone who suffers a concussion may also experience sensory problems like sensitivity to light and sound as well as double vision or blurry vision. Psychological and cognitive problems like “brain fog,” difficulty concentrating, irritability, depression, and even excessive crying may also be caused by a concussion.

Often, these symptoms make it difficult or impossible for a person to live their life normally. A concussion sufferer may be unable to complete work tasks, take care of daily responsibilities like cooking or cleaning, or adequately care for their children. Fortunately, concussion symptoms usually go away within a few weeks. For some, however, concussion symptoms persist for weeks or even months.  

Illinois law allows people who are injured by another party’s actions to sue that party for damages. Personal injury lawsuits can help an injured person recoup the cost of medical bills and ongoing medical expenses, lost income from missed work, and more. However, to recover compensation, the injured person must demonstrate the gravity of his or her injuries and the damages resulting from those injuries. This is especially difficult when a person suffers from “invisible injuries.”

Some Injuries Are Not Immediately Apparent  

If you were hurt in a car crash, truck accident, product-related accident, or another incident caused by another party’s conduct, you may have a right to financial compensation for your damages. However, getting the compensation you are owed is much more difficult when your injuries are not immediately obvious.

Some invisible injuries that can sometimes be difficult to demonstrate for the purpose of a personal injury claim include:

Individuals above a certain age may remember news stories about a woman suing the McDonald’s restaurant chain because her coffee was too hot. The 1994 lawsuit made international headlines and became the go-to example of “frivolous” lawsuits. For almost 30 years, the McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit has been touted as the epitome of American litigiousness. However, the real story behind the infamous product liability lawsuit may surprise you.

The Real Facts of Stella Liebeck’s Hot Coffee Claim

If you are like most people, you may remember reacting to the “hot coffee” lawsuit by rolling your eyes in disbelief. After all, everyone knows that coffee is hot. You may remember hearing that the woman spilled the coffee on herself because she was attempting to simultaneously remove the lid while driving. You may have also heard that the woman received an exorbitantly high payout for the incident.

Unfortunately, the real story is much more disturbing. The coffee that the 79-year-old plaintiff spilled on herself was not just hot – it was outrageously hot. The coffee was approximately 190 degrees Fahrenheit. That is only 22 degrees shy of boiling. At temperatures this high, coffee is capable of causing full-thickness burns in less than three seconds. Furthermore, the woman was not driving at the time of the incident. She was in the passenger seat, and the vehicle was parked. When she took off the lid to add sugar to the coffee, the coffee spilled on her lap. Liebeck suffered third-degree burns down to the fatty tissue and muscle on nearly 20 percent of her body. Her burns were so severe that she required multiple surgeries and years of recovery. McDonald’s had also received hundreds of reports of the coffee burning customers previously, but the company did not lower the temperature at which coffee was served. Liebeck eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.