Punitive Damages in Personal Injury Cases

If you’ve been injured in a car accident or through another person’s negligence, you are likely to incur medical bills. You are also likely to experience physical pain and possibly emotional pain. You may incur loss of income.

As an accident victim, what types of compensation are you entitled to?

Special damages include medical expense, prescription expense and wage loss. General damages cover pain and suffering. In some cases, punitive damages may also be sought. Punitive damages are designed to punish a negligent person or party for egregious or serious wrongdoing.

Under Nevada law, in order to receive punitive damages, the victim must be able to prove that the negligent party was guilty of oppression, fraud, or malicious intent. An experienced injury attorney can assess your chances of recovering punitive damages.

A high burden of proof must be met to recover punitive damages. Your lawyer will need to prove, under Nevada law, that the actions of the negligent party were “willful, wanton, reckless, malicious, or oppressive.” In order to prove this, the defendant must be shown to either intentionally wish to cause harm, or be shown to know that his or her actions created a serious risk of causing harm.

One example of a case where a person could have known beforehand that his or her actions could have caused harm would be drinking and driving. Drinking and driving is known to be a risk factor for serious accidents and injury. Under Nevada’s punitive damages law, drinking and driving is provided for specifically, allowing victims to seek punitive damages when victims can prove that the driver drank or took drugs with the intent of later driving a vehicle.

The Law Offices of Eric Woods offers skilled representation for accident victims. The firm has over thirty years of experience protecting the rights of personal injury victims, ensuring that they receive the justice they deserve and the maximum award for their injuries obtainable under the circumstances, or allowable by law.