Recovering from a catastrophic injury can be nearly impossible without financial help. Many people who suffer these injuries are overwhelmed with the number of procedures necessary and the cost of medical care. When negligence causes an injury, the injured person may sue for compensation. The purpose of this compensation is to pay for the costs of treatment and make the injured person whole. While money can never replace the quality of life someone had before an injury, financial compensation is the primary tool that the judicial system has to reimburse injured people for their losses. A court may award three types of compensation after a catastrophic injury: economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. Of the three, economic damages are the easiest to understand. These are the damages awarded as reimbursement for actual costs. Lost wages, medical bills, and the costs of repairing damaged property are all examples of economic damages. Non-economic damages compensate an injured person for damages that are not easily quantifiable. These damages include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and anxiety and emotional distress. Unlike medical bills, it is difficult to put an exact number on the amount of money a person should receive for the amount of their suffering. Injured people and their families can testify about how the injury has impacted their lives to help the court decide how much compensation they should receive. The third type of damages is punitive damages. The law intends for these damages to punish the person who caused the injury rather than compensate the victim. Punitive damages are only appropriate in cases where the plaintiff acted in an intentional or highly reckless manner. Since most accidents do not occur with any intent involved, punitive damages are relatively rare.