What Types of Damages Does a Minnesota Personal Injury Lawsuit Cover?

In Minnesota, personal injury damages are sorted into two categories: economic and non-economic. Economic damages cover tangible losses, like medical bills and property damage.

Medical Expenses

Most injuries will require some form of medical treatment. A personal injury lawsuit can cover that treatment and all associated costs. That may include:

• Emergency room visits
• Hospital stays
• Doctor's appointments
• Ambulance service
• X-rays and other diagnostic imaging
• Surgery
• Medication
• Physical therapy
• Medical devices

Your claim isn't limited to current expenses. You can also include estimated future expenses to ensure you have enough to cover the cost of any long-term medical treatment.

Lost Income

If your injury keeps you from working, you can seek compensation for lost income. For example, if you have to take a few weeks off to recover, you could request the full wages you would have earned during that time, including any bonuses, commissions, or paid time off you’ve missed.

Disability

If the injury is serious enough, you may not be able to return to your old job. In that case, you can seek financial support until you find a new one. If you have to take a lower-paying job, your claim can cover the difference between your new income and what you would have earned before. If your disability is permanent, a successful claim can provide income to support you for life.

Property Damage

If the incident that caused your injury damaged your property, you can also seek restitution. For example, if a vehicle is damaged in a car accident, you could include compensation for the expense of repairing or replacing it. The same applies to your phone, glasses, clothes, or anything else damaged by another person’s negligence or misconduct.

Non-economic damages cover losses and harm that may be harder to quantify financially. Minnesota law recognizes these as real damages that can be included in a personal injury claim.

Pain and Suffering

When calculating your claim, you can add compensation for the pain and suffering your injury caused. “Pain and suffering” covers a broad range of symptoms, such as:

• Recurring headaches
• Pulled or sprained muscles
• Broken bones
• Traumatic brain injury
• Organ damage
• Dislocated joints
• Nerve damage
• Chronic pain

Unlike many other states, Minnesota has no cap on how much you can be compensated for pain and suffering. Depending on how serious your injuries are and how long symptoms last, this can significantly affect your claim's value.

Emotional Distress

Many injuries cause harm that doesn’t show up on an X-ray. Psychological trauma and emotional distress are also valid damages under Minnesota law. That can cover:

• Shock
• Grief
• Depression
• Anxiety and persistent fear
• Difficulty controlling anger
• Grief
• Loss of energy
• Insomnia
• PTSD

As with pain and suffering, the value of an emotional distress claim depends on how severe your symptoms are and how long they last.

Scarring and Disfigurement

When an injury causes permanent scarring or disfigurement, you can also recover compensation for that damage. A severe burn, an amputation, or a visible scar from surgery can all be included in your claim, even if the pain has subsided.

For these damages, visibility and permanence are both important. For example, a scar on the face will be valued differently than one hidden under clothing. A disfigurement expected to fade over time is treated differently than a permanent one.

Loss of Enjoyment of Life

A serious injury can take away the things that meant the most to you. Playing with your kids, going for a run, driving a car, or picking up an instrument you used to play may all become difficult or impossible. That loss of enjoyment and meaning in your life is also compensable in Minnesota.

Punitive Damages

Most injuries result from simple negligence. When someone goes beyond ordinary carelessness, they may be liable for punitive damages. These damages apply when the at-fault party shows “deliberate disregard for the rights or safety of others.” That could mean:

• A drunk driver
• An aggressive person who commits assault
• A business that ignores repeated safety complaints
• A manufacturer that sells a product they know to be dangerous

Unlike the other damages on this list, punitive damages aren't meant to make up for a loss. Instead, they're designed to punish willful wrongdoing and deter it from happening again.

Negotiating the best settlement possible or winning at trial requires experienced, proven legal representation. Insurance companies hire teams of high-priced lawyers who are skilled at downplaying and denying your damages. Having the right lawyer in your corner pays off.

At SiebenCarey, we’ve spent more than 70 years helping thousands of injured people throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin win the financial support they need. Now, we’re ready to help you.

We’ll review your case details, explain your rights, and help you recover every dollar you’re owed.