Not the stack of medical bills, lost wages, or repair costs people can easily total up. These damages cover the human harm an injury causes that does not come with a fixed price tag, such as physical pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and loss of companionship in some cases. They are meant to recognize that a serious crash or other injury can change daily life in ways a receipt will never show.

That matters because many of the hardest losses after a wreck are personal, long-lasting, and unevenly felt. Someone hurt on a rural road or during dangerous conditions like blowing dust on I-84 may face chronic pain, fear of driving, sleep problems, or limits on work around the home even after the emergency treatment ends. Those effects can support a claim for damages beyond purely economic damages.

In Idaho, non-economic damages may be limited by Idaho Code § 6-1603 (enacted 1987), which sets a cap that is adjusted over time for inflation, with narrow exceptions. They can also be reduced by comparative fault. Under Idaho's modified comparative fault rule, a person who is 50% or more at fault cannot recover anything, and any lower share of fault reduces the award. That can directly affect how much compensation is available after an injury claim or personal injury lawsuit.