A finding of liability means nothing until it is converted into a figure, and that figure is built head by head. This chapter begins with the compensatory aim of damages and the split between general and special damages, then works through pain, suffering and loss of amenity, and the multiplier method used to value lost earnings and the cost of care. It explains what gets deducted from the award — state benefits, failures to mitigate, contributory negligence — and how interest runs, before looking at periodical payments, provisional damages and interim payments as alternatives to the single lump sum. The closing sections deal with the estate and dependency claims that arise on death, and the limitation rules that decide whether any claim can be brought at all.
