A reasonable amount to ask for pain and suffering can range from a few thousand dollars to several hundred thousand, or even more in severe cases. It’s important to understand that there is no fixed formula, and no two cases require the same amount of compensation.
What you can expect to recover depends entirely on the specifics of your situation, including the severity of your injuries and how significantly the accident has disrupted your daily life.
Our Marietta personal injury lawyers will explain what a reasonable amount is for pain and suffering and fight for the damages you deserve.
Factors That Determine Pain and Suffering Damages
There are several factors that impact what a reasonable amount to ask for pain and suffering is for your situation. Insurance companies, judges, and juries weigh several things when determining what your pain and suffering is worth.
The most significant factors include the following:
- The severity of your injuries
- Your estimated recovery time
- Whether the injury is permanent
- The impact your condition has on your daily life
- If your injury limits or completely stops you from working
- The emotional and psychological effects of your condition
- Your age at the time of injury, since a younger person will live with the consequences of their injury for longer than an older person
Our lawyers will look at the complete picture, assess how your injury has impacted your life, and calculate how much compensation you should receive for pain and suffering.
Contact a Jones & Swanson attorney today to learn more about how much your claim is worth.
How an Attorney Proves Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering damages aren’t something you have a receipt for. Your lawyer needs to document your pain and present evidence in a way that makes the insurance company understand what you’ve been through. Here’s how an experienced attorney will prove your damages and maximize how much you receive:
- Collect your complete medical records to establish the severity of your injuries and the treatment you’ve undergone
- Obtain detailed testimony from doctors about your diagnosis and long-term limitations
- Gather evidence of how the injury has changed your daily life, showing what you could do before the accident vs. what you can do now
- Use your personal written testimony to show your daily pain levels
- Obtain testimony from family members, friends, and coworkers who can speak to the changes they’ve witnessed in you
- Bring in mental health professionals to speak to any anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or other psychological effects you’ve been experiencing
Proving an intangible loss like pain and suffering can be difficult without our skilled lawyers. A Jones & Swanson attorney will explain what a reasonable amount to ask for pain and suffering is and gather the evidence required to pursue the compensation you deserve.
How Insurance Companies Try to Minimize Pain and Suffering
Insurance adjusters are trained to reduce the value of your claim, and pain and suffering is often one of their biggest targets. Here’s how insurers try to minimize your pain and suffering and the overall value of your personal injury claim:
- Downplay your injuries by suggesting your injuries are minor, point to gaps in your treatment, or argue that you’re exaggerating your symptoms
- Blame your pain on a pre-existing condition
- Ask you to give a recorded statement in the hopes that you’ll say something they can use to dispute your pain and suffering later
- Hire their own doctors who are paid to write reports that say your injuries aren’t serious
- Dispute the permanence of your injuries
These are only a few of the tactics the insurance company may use to reduce the amount of money they have to pay you. Remember, insurers are almost always more focused on protecting their own bottom line than providing the compensation you deserve.
Having our knowledgeable lawyers on your side will level the playing field between you and adjusters and help you get a positive outcome.
Pain and Suffering Isn’t the Only Thing You Can Recover After an Accident
While pain and suffering is a major part of your claim, it‘s not the whole picture. A personal injury case involves both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages compensate you for tangible costs like medical expenses and lost income. Non-economic damages are for losses that are more subjective, like pain and suffering.
Your lawyer will determine which damages you’re owed and how much compensation your claim is worth overall. Other personal injury damages include the following:
- Current and future medical bills
- Physical therapy costs
- Cost of assistive medical devices
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Decreased earning ability
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Find Out What Is a Reasonable Amount to Ask for Pain and Suffering
Figuring out what is a reasonable amount to ask for pain and suffering isn’t something you should do alone. The difference between what the insurer offers and what you actually deserve can be enormous.
This makes it important to hire our lawyers, who know how to evaluate these damages and get the full amount that you deserve. At Jones & Swanson, we have over 50 years of combined experience handling claims like yours and have recovered more than $50 million in settlements.
We offer personalized support and strong advocacy as we fight for the pain and suffering damages and other forms of compensation you need to move forward.
