You may be entitled to monetary compensation if you can show that you were damaged by another's actions. You can take legal action against a person, a business, or even a government entity. When speaking of damages, that word has different meanings depending on how it's used. Read on and find out more.

Physical Injuries

When it comes to seeking compensation, almost everyone immediately thinks about car accidents and being physically injured. Although all types of damages can fall under the heading of personal injuries, car accidents and other forms of physical bodily injury are unique categories. To have a personal injury car accident case, for instance, you must show and prove that you have a physical injury as a result of the wreck. This is a big compensation category that mostly deals with medical treatments, the costs of treatment, estimated future costs, and the emotional and personal fallout from those physical injuries. You might also encounter physical injuries in dog bite cases, slip and falls, product injuries, and more. To that end, those hurt in an accident can be expected to be paid for the following forms of damage:

• Medical bills
• Future medical treatment costs
• Pain and suffering
• Personal property losses

For further clarification, pain and suffering is often based on the dollar amount of medical expenses, but the payment can end up being up to five times more than the medical bills. On the other hand property losses usually include vehicles, clothing, car seats, electronic devices, and more. This form of injury may even include an entire kitchen in the case of a pressure cooker malfunction and injury.

Reputational Damage

A different sort of civil law case involves not physical issues but emotional and reputational ones. The most widely known of those might be defamation. To be defamed, the victim must have suffered from false statements made public. Defamation is divided into slander (something spoken) or libel (something written). To be paid, the victim must be ready to show that the information in question was untrue and that it caused them harm. It can be very embarrassing to read or hear damaging words that can affect your relationships, career, financial stability, emotional state, and more.

Damages are the things that occurred to you as a result of another person's or a businesses' harmful actions. The reasons for the damages may be associated with simple carelessness (like a car accident), malicious intent (defamation), or negligence and failure to use due care. If you have been hurt by another, speak to a personal injury lawyer about your case.