If you are injured due to someone else’s negligence, the law in Pennsylvania provides that the responsible person is legally responsible to compensate you to try to make up for the harm.  Unfortunately, there is no way to turn back the clock and force the person who caused the accident to be more careful and prevent it from happening.  Accordingly, the law provides that victims of accidents are entitled to fair compensation to try to make up for the harm.  There are two types of recoverable compensation:  Economic Damages and Non-Economic Damages.Economic DamagesEconomic Damages provide compensation for harm that can be measured and reimbursed dollar-for-dollar.  Economic Damages include past and future medical expenses, lost wages and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred due to the injuries.Non-Economic DamagesAn injured person is also entitled to fair compensation to make up for harm that cannot be specifically accounted for dollar-for-dollar.  Injuries cause physical and mental pain and suffering.  Injuries often cause disability from normal activities and disfigurement.  These items cannot be measured in dollars, but are all real harms which the law says must be compensated.In a legal case, the jury decides what is full and fair compensation for the following Non-Economic Damages:

• Pain and Suffering
• Embarassment and Humiliation
• Loss of Life’s Pleasures
• Disfigurement

Tim is a graduate of Widener University School of Law (J.D.) and the Temple University Beasley School of Law (Master’s Degree in Trial Advocacy).  Tim focuses his practice in Personal Injury law, including car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and falls, dangerous products/products liability cases and medical malpractice.  Tim is a partner in the Chester County, PA, law firm of MacElree Harvey and has offices in Kennett Square and West Chester, PA, and Centreville, DE.  Tim is the author of numerous publications on Personal Injury law and writes a Blog providing news and information on Personal Injury law at www.macelree.com/traynelaw and is a columnist for The Kennett Paper writing a column titled “Legal Lines.”  Tim has also published two books on Personal Injury law:  “A Lawyer’s Guide to Purchasing Car Insurance” and “A Lawyer’s Guide to Personal Injury Cases.”  In 2007, Tim was named by Main Line Today as one of the area’s Top Personal Injury Litigators.  In addition, Tim is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum which recognizes the “Top Trial Lawyers in America,” with membership limited to attorneys who have won million dollar awards and settlements on behalf of their clients.

Tim can be reached by phone at 610-840-0124, by email at trayne@macelree.com or on his Blog at www.macelree.com/traynelaw.  

This entry was posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Legal Damages. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments will appear immediately, but I reserve the right to delete innapropriate comments.