Most accident victims know the meaning of medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering damages.  However, these are not the only losses that you should be concerned about if you are injured. Other less common, but not less important, damages to consider include:

Household Services

If your injuries preclude you from performing household chores, then you may be compensated for hiring somebody else to take care of your household duties. Of course, this is only possible if you used to do the chores before the accident. An example is if you used to cook for yourself, but your right hand is now in a cast and you can't cook. However, if had a domestic worker, then you cannot claim compensation for his or her payments.

In some jurisdictions, this form of compensation is included in the medical expenses part of the claim. It is essential to know how your jurisdiction handles the matter to that you can know whether you need a separate claim for it or not.

Loss of Enjoyment of Life

This is the loss you experience if an injury has altered your life or lifestyle, and you can't participate in the activities, pleasures and hobbies that you enjoyed before the accident. It includes both the losses of physical and intellectual enjoyment.

These losses are also known as hedonic damages, and examples include:

• Being unable to play with your kids because your limbs are paralyzed
• Being unable to ride a horse (if riding horses is your hobby, and you can prove it) because of an injured back
• Difficulty in enjoying sleep because your pain is keeping you awake

These damages are difficult to quantify, but they generally depend on:

• The extent of your injuries
• Your age – younger people experience prolonged loss since they (potentially) have a longer time to enjoy life.
• The effect of the injury on your lifestyle.

Loss of Consortium

Lastly, you should also inquire about loss of consortium, which is applicable if your injuries mean that you can no longer have normal marital relations (such as sex, companionship, assistance). Such losses occur not only due to injuries to the sexual organs but also as a result of:

• Any physical injury that makes marital relations impossible
• Loss of libido due to unavoidable medication for your injuries
• Loss of interest in intimacy due to mental distress
• Inability to engage in couple's activities that you previously did together

If your claim goes to trial, then the court will consider your pre-injury lifestyle and stability of marriage before awarding any consortium damage.

These losses are not easy to quantify or prove. If you feel that you deserve any of them, or that they are not being factored into the general losses, then you need to talk to your personal injury attorney about them.