Which type of damages would cover emotional distress from an accident?

In the context of personal injury claims, emotional distress resulting from an accident is classified under general damages. General damages refer to compensation for non-economic losses that cannot be precisely calculated, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of companionship.

Emotional distress is inherently subjective and does not have a specific monetary value associated with it, unlike medical bills or lost wages, which can be easily quantified. Thus, the legal system recognizes that individuals can experience significant emotional pain and suffering as a result of an accident, and general damages provide a mechanism for compensating these experiences.

In contrast, special damages are intended to compensate for tangible losses and economic impacts, punitive damages are designed to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar behavior in the future, and actual damages is a more general term that can refer to both general and special damages but doesn't specifically highlight emotional distress. This makes general damages the appropriate category for compensating emotional distress in a legal context.