Pennsylvania law allows the recovery of both economic and non-economic expenses from liable parties in the event of a motor vehicle accident that results in injury. These expenses, also known as damages, include the following:
Economic damages: Medical expenses, including ambulance transport, emergency department treatment, hospitalization, diagnostic tests, labs, surgery, physical therapy, and medication; the cost to repair and replace your vehicle; the cost of handicap accessible features added to your home in the event your injuries require them; the cost of mobility equipment, including wheelchairs, handicap modifications on your vehicle, and prosthetics; missed wages due to being too injured to work or being required to miss work for injury-related appointments; the loss of future earning capacity or business opportunities; other out-of-pocket expenses, such as the cost of renting a car while yours is being repaired, transport to and from medical appointments, or the cost of hiring someone to complete household services that you’re no longer able to do because of the severity of your injuries.
Non-economic damages: Pain and suffering, embarrassment or humiliation, loss of the ability to enjoy the pleasures of life, and disfigurement.
It is hard to pinpoint an exact dollar amount for non-economic damages. The jury determines this amount based on your age at the time of injury, the severity and permanence of the injury, how the injury has impacted your ability to enjoy your life and the activities you participated in before the accident, the severity of disfigurement involved with the injury, and the amount of physical pain and emotional anguish you have experienced.
In addition to economic and non-economic damages, punitive damages, which are designed to punish the defendant for particularly egregious behavior, may also be awarded.