The compensation you can recover in a medical malpractice claim depends on the severity of your injuries and, in some cases, the healthcare provider’s misconduct. These damages fall into the following three categories:
- Economic damages — Compensation for the financial harm you have suffered, including medical expenses, future medical costs, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity due to a permanent disability.
- Non-economic damages — Compensation for the physical pain and suffering and the emotional distress that medical malpractice causes a patient to suffer, which may be significant in some circumstances.
- Punitive damages — Damages that punish a healthcare provider for exceptional misconduct and serve to deter similar misconduct, such as intentionally inflicting harm on a vulnerable patient, such as a child or older adult.
