Getting Paid For Pain And Suffering: How Is Figured Out?
After a car accident, you may be injured and require medical attention. In some cases, your injuries could take some time to heal, and you may even be left with lingering pain. There is something else that auto accident victims can be left with, though, that not everyone acknowledges, and many victims don't know about. Read on to find out what pain and suffering is and how to be paid for it.
What is Pain and Suffering?
Dealing with accident injuries is not easy. Almost anyone that has been hurt, had a medical condition, or had to be hospitalized can tell you that dealing with physical injuries is only part of the problem. To get a better idea of what pain and suffering means, take these examples.
- Victims may miss their families while they are away at the hospital.
- They may miss important events and milestones because of their injuries. Imagine being too injured to attend your daughter's graduation, for example.
- Victims may have to postpone vacations, sometimes even losing money on non-refundable deposits.
- You may be provided with medications to deal with your injuries, but what about the side effects? Perhaps you are worried about dependence on pain medication and end up being in pain all the time.
- While you are injured, you may have to depend on others to help with toileting, bathing, walking, eating, and more. This may cause a great deal of discomfort and embarrassment.
- Some victims are traumatized by the accident and are unable to eat, sleep, or drive a vehicle again.
The above is only a partial list of the ways victims can be affected by an accident. To understand how to get paid for those ways, read on.
Getting Paid for Pain and Suffering
You might be able to add up your usual accident damages easily, but pain and suffering are more challenging. How can you price the way an accident has made you feel? It can be difficult and the ways to calculate it vary. However, one common way is explained here, step by step:
- Take your medical bills and multiply them by a factor between 1.5 and 5 (or greater).
- The factor should correspond to your pain and suffering. If you suffered minor injuries and spent little to no time in the hospital, the factor might be 1.5. If you spent a few weeks in the hospital, the factor might be 3. If you have permanent injuries and may never be the same again, your factor might be 5 or more.
- After multiplying the remainder of your damages, such as lost wages and auto repair, it's totaled. That is the amount you should be paid.
Factors can vary and so can settlements since they are based on issues like your age and more. To find out more, speak to a personal injury lawyer.
For more information, contact a company like the Law Office of Robert Karwin.