If you have been hurt in a trucking collision, a fall, a car wreck, a bicycle wreck, or injured as a pedestrian, or if you’ve been attacked by an animal, you probably have a personal injury claim. in these claims, you’re entitled to three types of damages, called “compensatory damages“: lost income, reimbursement of medical expenses, and money for pain and suffering. Unlike with a workers’ compensation claim, there is no specific formula for any of these types of damages. The award-winning Raleigh personal injury lawyers at the Miller Law Group are available to answer your questions about these issues and help with your claims.

Punitive damages are less common, and deal with some of the most severe conduct by defendants. Examples of conduct that may justify punitive damages are drunk driving, racing, driving while under the influence of drugs, driving at extremely high rates of speed, and intentional conduct, such as starting a fight. Distracted driving, including texting and emailing while driving, may also be grounds for punitive damages. Compensatory damages are there for two reasons: first to compensate the victim of someone else’s negligence, and second to deter that defendant, and others like them, from repeating that conduct in the future.

Punitive damages are also meant to deter the same or similar conduct from the defendant and others. However, punitive damages also punish the dangerous conduct. Is your case one in which punitive damages are available? There’s no way to know for sure without some investigation. Even if a drunk driver is hauled away from a crash scene by the police, lots of things can still happen that you might not expect, that can put an end to that part of your claim. The lawyers at the Miller Law Group have over a half-century of experience in handling cases both with and without punitive damages. If you’ve been injured, give us a call or contact us online today for a free consultation. We’re the Miller Law Group, and we’ve got your back.