{"id":15637,"date":"2026-05-11T22:58:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T22:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/?p=15637"},"modified":"2026-05-04T23:02:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T23:02:04","slug":"damages-in-a-civil-case-what-can-an-injured-person-recover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/damages-in-a-civil-case-what-can-an-injured-person-recover\/","title":{"rendered":"Damages in a Civil Case: What Can an Injured Person Recover?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"author\">By Kevin Acevedo \u2013 Ace Law | Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, Civil and Commercial Litigation, Family Law, Estate Planning and Probate<\/div>\n<p>When someone suffers a loss because of another person, business, or entity, they may have the right to file a civil case seeking damages. In simple terms, damages are financial compensation intended to help the injured party recover from losses caused by someone else\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n<p>In Texas, damages may include economic losses, non-economic losses, and, in certain limited cases, exemplary or punitive damages.<\/p>\n<h2>What are economic damages?<\/h2>\n<p>Economic damages are actual financial losses. These are losses that can often be proven through bills, receipts, invoices, pay records, repair estimates, or other documents.<\/p>\n<p>Economic damages may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Medical expenses<\/li>\n<li>Lost wages<\/li>\n<li>Property damage<\/li>\n<li>Repair costs<\/li>\n<li>Loss of earning capacity<\/li>\n<li>Business losses<\/li>\n<li>Other out-of-pocket expenses related to the incident<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For example, if someone is injured in an accident and has medical bills, therapy costs, medication expenses, and missed time from work, those losses may be part of the claim.<\/p>\n<h2>What are non-economic damages?<\/h2>\n<p>Not every loss can be measured with a receipt. Non-economic damages are meant to compensate a person for the personal impact the incident has had on their life.<\/p>\n<p>These damages may include physical pain, suffering, mental or emotional distress, physical impairment, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, damage to reputation, and other personal losses.<\/p>\n<p>Non-economic damages can be especially important because a civil case is not only about how much money was spent\u2014it is also about how the incident changed the injured person\u2019s daily life.<\/p>\n<h2>Example of a civil damages case<\/h2>\n<p>Imagine a business owner hires a company to perform repairs. The company performs the work negligently, damages the property, and forces the business to close temporarily. In that type of case, the business owner may be able to claim repair costs, lost income during the closure, and other expenses caused by the company\u2019s conduct.<\/p>\n<p>In another example, if a person is injured because of another party\u2019s negligence, they may be able to claim medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages related to the injury.<\/p>\n<p>Every case depends on the evidence. That is why it is important to save documents, photos, invoices, messages, contracts, reports, medical records, and any communication related to the incident.<\/p>\n<h2>What are exemplary or punitive damages?<\/h2>\n<p>In some cases, a person may seek exemplary damages, also known as punitive damages. These damages are not meant to compensate for a specific loss. Instead, they are intended to punish serious misconduct and discourage similar conduct in the future.<\/p>\n<p>In Texas, exemplary damages are generally only available when the harm resulted from fraud, malice, or gross negligence. They are not awarded in every case and are subject to specific legal requirements and limitations.<\/p>\n<h2>Responsibility also matters<\/h2>\n<p>In many civil cases, the other side may argue that the injured party was also partly responsible. Texas applies proportionate responsibility rules, which can affect how much a person may recover.<\/p>\n<p>This makes the investigation of the case very important. It is not enough to show that damages occurred. A claimant must also show who was responsible and to what extent.<\/p>\n<h2>Why acting quickly matters<\/h2>\n<p>After an incident, evidence can disappear. Witnesses may forget important details, documents may be lost, and insurance companies may try to reduce the value of a claim. Speaking with an attorney early can help protect your rights and preserve important evidence.<\/p>\n<p>An attorney can help evaluate what damages may be available, what evidence is needed, and what legal strategy may best support the case.<\/p>\n<h2>Protect your rights after a civil loss<\/h2>\n<p>A civil case can affect your finances, your business, your family, and your peace of mind. If you believe you suffered damages because of another party\u2019s conduct, it is important to understand your legal options and take steps to protect your claim.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Kevin Acevedo \u2013 Ace Law | Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, Civil and Commercial Litigation, Family Law, Estate Planning and Probate When someone suffers a loss because of another person, business, or entity, they may have the right to file a civil case seeking damages. In simple terms, damages are financial compensation intended to help [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-civil"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15639,"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15637\/revisions\/15639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acelawtx.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}