A personal injury legal claim ordinarily seeks both economic and non-economic damages. In Georgia, economic damages are referred to as special damages, and include medical and other costs stemming from an accident, as well as lost wages from missing work.
Special damages in Georgia can be both past and future. Suppose a car accident shattered one of your legs. The doctor has indicated that you will need several surgeries plus physical therapy to fully regain the use of your leg, and so far, you have only had one surgery. You can legally claim compensation for:
- The cost of surgeries you have had already
- The cost of the surgeries yet to come
- The cost of physical therapy to fully restore the use of your leg
Similarly, if you have lost six weeks’ worth of work but the surgeries are expected to make you lose eight weeks more, your legal claim can typically include lost wages for both periods.
In Georgia, non-economic damages are called general damages. These include such categories as pain and suffering. These are not always easy to quantify, but pain and suffering damages are a very real part of personal injuries.
