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Compensatory principle in tort

Hi,

I have been trying to get a solid structure together for the following question:

"The overall objetive of an award of damages in a negligence action is said to be to return the claimant to the position which he or she was in before the accident occurred. To what extent does the law achieve this objective?"

I understand the difficulties in applying the compensatory principle. For example, the difficulty of attributing a monetary value to a physical injury, and the general rule that damages may only be awarded once - which creates uncertainty.

Would I go on to discuss the disadvantages to a once and for all, lump sum payment, with discussion about interim awards, periodic payments, and provisional damages as alternatives?

I have had a hard time finding solid academic opinion, mainly for my first points, although not due to lack of searching. Even if someone could point me in the direction of some more effective material to read than I have already, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!