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When you are hurt in an accident, “damages” is the legal word for what your losses are worth in dollars. Texas law sorts those losses into two main groups: economic and non-economic. Knowing the difference helps you see the full value of a claim, since insurers often focus only on the bills and ignore the harder-to-measure harm. If you want a clear picture of what your case may be worth, a Dallas personal injury lawyer can review your losses in both categories.
What Damages Mean in a Texas Injury Case
Damages are the compensation an injured person can recover from the party at fault. Together, economic and non-economic damages make up what the law calls compensatory damages, meaning money meant to make you whole rather than to punish the wrongdoer. Getting both categories right matters, because a settlement that covers only your out-of-pocket costs can leave real losses unpaid.
Economic Damages
Economic damages cover measurable financial losses, the kind you can add up with bills and records. They typically include:
- Medical expenses, from emergency care and surgery to physical therapy and future treatment.
- Lost wages for time missed at work while recovering.
- Loss of future earning capacity when an injury limits your ability to work going forward.
- Property damage, such as vehicle repairs after a crash.
- Out-of-pocket costs tied to the injury, like medical equipment or transportation to appointments.
Because these losses come with a paper trail, strong documentation is key, as our guide on the evidence you need explains.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages compensate for losses that have no receipt but are just as real. Under Chapter 41 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, these include physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, physical impairment, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of companionship. In serious cases, such as a Richardson catastrophic injury claim, these damages can be the largest part of a recovery, because a life-altering injury affects far more than a bank account. Our guide on how pain and suffering is calculated covers how this value is measured.
Are There Caps on Damages in Texas?
For most personal injury cases in Texas, there is no cap on the amount of economic or non-economic damages you can recover. A few exceptions exist. Medical malpractice claims carry a statutory limit on non-economic damages, and claims against government entities are subject to their own caps. Exemplary damages, which punish especially reckless or malicious conduct, are also limited by statute. For a typical car crash, fall, or similar accident, though, your recovery is measured by your actual losses rather than a fixed ceiling.
How Damages Are Valued
Putting a number on a claim takes more than adding up bills. Economic damages start with records: medical invoices, wage statements, and repair estimates. Non-economic damages depend on the severity of the injury, the length of recovery, and how the harm has changed daily life. Insurers tend to undervalue this second category, which is why documentation and, when needed, testimony from treating providers matter so much. This applies whether your case is a straightforward crash like a Coppell car accident or a complex injury with lasting effects.
Talk to a Texas Personal Injury Lawyer
Since 2012, Kelso Law, PLLC has helped injured Texans recover the full value of their claims, not just the easy-to-count losses. If you are unsure what your case is worth, we can review both categories of damages, document them thoroughly, and press the insurance company for a fair result. Whether your claim is an Irving car accident matter or another type of injury, we are ready to help. Contact our team for a free consultation.
