How Much Do You Get For Pain And Suffering?

If you have been in an accident, then you may be wondering about how much you should ask for when it comes to pain and suffering. The answer is that it will depend on your injuries and how severe your accident had been.

It is always best to talk to an attorney and get professional opinions on how much you would get for your pain and suffering. But, there are some shortcuts that you may use to get a general idea of what you should expect.

 

Do You Qualify For Pain and Suffering When Filing Car Accident Claims?

Pain and suffering is just a generalized term. In the court system, these get called general damages. They are non-financial losses that you had, which means physical pain to emotional pain. Permanent injuries, the inability to work, and disabilities are losses that would count under pain and suffering.

If you have losses beyond the price of your medical bills and you lost out on paychecks, you may qualify for pain and suffering.

How much should you ask for when it comes to pain and suffering?

It is hard to develop a set amount to pay because pain and suffering do not depend on financial losses. However, most insurance companies have a formula that allows them to try to develop an amount.

There are three parts to this formula:

1. It starts at the amount that you are owed. That means that after your car repairs, medical costs, and other types of hard costs. That is the easiest part.
2. Next, your situation will be rated based on severity. If it sounds hard, then you are right. It is also subjective. However, there is some logic behind this step. For instance, if you have had pain for a couple of months, but after your accident, living pain is much worse. And if you are left paralyzed, then it is much worse. Your suffering gets rated on the severity, and a number between 1 and 5 gets assigned to your suffering.
3. Lastly, your hard costs get multiplied by your rating. For instance, if you had $60,000 in hard costs and your suffering was a 4, then the pain and suffering damages you get would be close to $240,000 ($60,000 x 4 = $240,000).

However, this system is not perfect, but it does work. Those who suffer most will get paid a lot more money. However, your case still has to be proved. Unfortunately, pain and suffering damages get undervalued by most insurance companies. It is because of this that it is best to get an accident attorney.

Getting a good attorney can make a huge difference in how much money you will recover for your pain and suffering. The truth is that this money does matter because it gets used to help you build up your life after a severe car accident. In most cases, pain and suffering is a majority of what you are getting, and it can go beyond $1 million. Do not let yourself get shortchanged by the insurance companies.