Personal injuries can occur to anyone and take on quite a few different forms. From car accidents to medical malpractice or dog bites, any of these cases involve a person who has been injured and who is owed compensation by the negligent party. One of the most common questions for personal injury attorneys in Charles County MD is whether the person should receive punitive damages for their injuries.
What are Punitive Damages?
Most of the compensation a person receives will be based on the damages they’ve sustained financially, such as medical bills to help recover from their injuries. Punitive damages are not based on monetary losses due to the injuries. Instead, they’re an additional amount of money on top of this meant to punish the party that was negligent. The idea behind them is that if a person is negligent and causes an accident and they are required to pay a significant amount above any required compensation, it will encourage them to be more careful in the future.
When Can Punitive Damages Occur?
Punitive damages can be found in just about any case. They’re typically seen when the negligence was something that would be easily prevented and in cases where the same person has caused an accident in the same way due to their negligence multiple times. The courts are not going to be happy if the same person has to be in court over and over for negligence they have caused, so will award punitive damages to hopefully encourage them to be more cautious in the future.
How are Punitive Damages Calculated?
Punitive damages can vary widely. They might be an agreed upon amount between the lawyers for both sides of the case, determined by a judge, or determined by a jury. Since they are not based on an expense like other types of compensation, it can be difficult to determine what the punitive damages might be before they’re awarded.
If you’ve been injured, one of the personal injury attorneys in Charles County MD can help you determine if you’re entitled to compensation for your injuries and, if so, whether you might be able to obtain punitive damages on top of the compensation for accident-related expenses. Check out website domain today to learn more about working with a lawyer for your personal injury case.
