After you are injured in an accident due to the negligence or recklessness of another person, you should pursue compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. You may be entitled to damages for both economic and noneconomic losses. One important consideration when calculating compensation is the loss of enjoyment of life you may experience as a result of your injuries. To learn more about your legal rights and options regarding compensation, reach out to a Middlesex County personal injury attorney today.
What is Loss of Enjoyment of Life in Personal Injury Law?
Loss of enjoyment of life is a type of noneconomic loss that can be compensated through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. If an injury has rendered you unable to participate in hobbies or activities that you once enjoyed and that brought you happiness, you can be compensated for the mental and emotional toll this loss of enjoyment has or will take on you.
Examples of loss of enjoyment of life include the following.
- Not being able to have children
- No longer being able to work in your career field
- Needing assistance to do basic tasks like getting dressed or cooking
- Being unable to participate in recreational activities like sports or playing musical instruments
- Being unable to travel
How Do You Calculate Loss of Enjoyment of Life?
Calculating noneconomic damages like loss of enjoyment of life can be challenging as it is a subjective issue. While there is no clear-cut way to put a monetary value on this type of loss, there are some options that can help you, the insurance company, and a jury estimate the amount you may be owed.
The multiplier method is a common way to calculate noneconomic losses, including loss of enjoyment. Below are the general steps involved in the process.
- First, total up your economic losses. Your economic losses are anything that you have to pay for or that caused a monetary loss, like doctor visits, ambulance rides, surgery, medication, time taken off of work to recover, damage to a vehicle or other property, future medical costs, at home care, and more.
- Next, choose a number between 1 and 5 that accurately represents the impact the accident has had on your life. Minor injuries that took a few months to recover from may be on the lower end like a 1 or 2, but if your ailment is severe and will likely affect you for years or even permanently, you should opt for 4 or 5.
- Multiply your total economic damages by the number that you have selected representing the extent to which your injury has or will impact you.
- Add the multiplied number to your total economic damages to get the final estimate of your losses.
While you may be awarded more or less than the number calculated, this method is a helpful way to estimate your total losses including both economic and noneconomic.
