These are the dollars-and-cents losses that often drive the value of an injury claim. If a crash, fall, or workplace accident leaves someone with hospital bills, missed paychecks, or a reduced ability to earn a living, those losses usually fall under economic damages. They are the measurable financial harm caused by an injury, proven with records like invoices, wage statements, tax returns, repair estimates, and expert opinions about future costs.

Economic damages can include past and future medical expenses, rehabilitation, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, property damage, and other out-of-pocket costs tied to the injury. They are different from noneconomic damages, which cover harder-to-price harm like pain, emotional distress, or loss of enjoyment of life. Put simply, if it can be counted with some reasonable precision, it usually belongs in the economic column.

In practice, these damages matter because they give a claim its backbone. After a serious crash on Route 201 or a moose collision in remote parts of Aroostook County, ambulance transport, surgery, follow-up care, and time off work can add up fast. The stronger the documentation, the harder it is for an insurer to shrug off the numbers.

In Maine, economic damages generally are not capped in ordinary personal injury cases. A claim still must be filed within the deadline set by Maine's statute of limitations, usually 6 years under 14 M.R.S. § 752.