After a serious injury, you might already have thought about the value of your economic damages. You’ll need compensation for the bills that are coming in that someone else caused. However, getting your full compensation isn’t as simple as getting the financial losses covered.
Your non-economic damages are just as important to calculate. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to understand these types of damages and get the full compensation you need. Your pain and suffering compensation should be a part of your claim, but if you don’t have the right experience and the tools to find their worth, it can be difficult to recover fully.
Don’t let the defense avoid paying for the full damages they’ve put you through. Speak to an attorney about your pain and suffering damages to learn what they are and how much you should receive for your claim.
What Is Pain and Suffering?
Pain and suffering damages are the intangible losses that affect your quality of life. Often, these damages are a part of the injuries you’ve suffered and should be compensated like your injuries are.
For example, you might already have listed all the financial losses you’ve suffered for a broken bone injury. You’ve listed your time off work, the medical costs, and any household services you’ve needed while you’re healing. What you might have left out, however, are the damages for your physical pain and suffering. A bone fracture is painful, and that pain can affect your quality of life.
If you’re not sure what non-economic damages you should include in your injury claim, talk to your lawyer about any of the following damages or more:
Calculating Your Damages
Because these damages are intangible, it can be difficult to assign a price to them. When you’re injured in a car accident and you’re suffering from PTSD, for example, how much compensation should you receive for the flashbacks, nightmares, and anxieties you’re now facing?
Pain and suffering damages are usually calculated based on the severity of your injury and on the relative impact on your life. For example, a concussion can be a traumatic experience, leaving you to face difficult cognitive issues. However, a more severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) may leave you with permanent issues, making your damages more severe.
The impact on your life will also be important. For example, if you work at a desk, the loss of use of a foot might be traumatic but not as life-changing as it might be for others. If you’re a pro athlete, that could end your career.
Calculate Your Non-Economic Damages
Pain and suffering compensation can be difficult because you’re dealing with intangible losses with relative expenses. Unfortunately, that can make it difficult to calculate your damages without help.