The amount you receive for your damages will vary depending on what your attorney can prove.
When you have been injured in any type of accident, your physical injuries are only part of what you have gone through. In many cases, you may be traumatized by what happened to you — and overwhelmed with pain and an incredible sadness for the losses that you have suffered.
This reality is why there is a category of damages specifically to account for pain and suffering. It can be difficult to put and exact number on this type of damages, since it isn’t as clear-cut as a bill for car repairs or medical treatment. But a skilled personal injury attorney can asses your case and make a strong argument for why you deserve to be compensated for all your losses — including for your pain and suffering.
What Is Pain and Suffering?
Pain and suffering can be a number of things, from anxiety and depression to post-traumatic stress disorder and even grief. If you have suffered as a result of an accident that you were in, then you could potentially recover compensation for pain and suffering. This type of damages can be a large part of an award or settlement in a personal injury case, despite the fact that it can be difficult to put an exact number on pain and suffering.
Pain and suffering awards are more likely when a person has suffered a serious injury. In those cases, then they could additional money for being permanently disabled in an attempt to make them “whole” again. For example, if a person lost a limb in an accident, it is not enough to just give them money to pay for their medical bills. Instead, a pain and suffering award will compensate them for what they will go through for the rest of their lives — difficulty getting around, the need to adapt their house and/or car, their loss of enjoyment of life, and more. Because a person will suffer this loss every day for the rest of their life, awards for pain and suffering involve permanent injuries like scarring, disfigurement, and paralysis tend to be much larger than for injuries that a person can recover from in time.
An award might also take into account the level of pain that has been and will be suffered by a person. Again, it can be hard to put a dollar figure on this type of damage — is living with chronic pain worth $5 a day or $50? — but a skilled personal injury attorney will have experience putting together claims, including figuring out how to value damages for pain and suffering.
Making a case for an award or settlement for pain and suffering can be incredibly challenging, but it is often the most important aspect of a personal injury case because this sort of compensation may help a person move forward with their life and be able to focus on their recovery. If you have been hurt in any type of accident, from a car, truck, bus, or motorcycle accident, slip and fall or any other type of accident, contact the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 or info@larryhparker.com. For nearly 40 years, we have represented people across California and Arizona who have been hurt by the negligence of others. We have recovered more than $2 billion dollars in awards and settlements for our clients, and we never charge a fee unless we recover money for you. Call us today — initial consultations are always free!
