If you were the victim of an accident that was caused by another person, you have the ability to sue the responsible person for your medical bills and related expenses. While these bills are quite clear with how much you owe, there is another form of compensation that is not so clear. Pain and suffering damages are related to how much distress you went through as a result of the accident, and it can really add up to make a settlement worthwhile. Here are some of those factors that contribute to a pain and suffering settlement.
Medical Treatments
While your medical expenses are one form of compensation, the actual treatments that were billed can help tell the story of how much pain and suffering you went through. Having a documented history of medical treatments will provide proof of how serious your injury actually is. In comparison, a minor injury would not have likely caused a lot of pain and suffering and would have very few medical treatments to prove it.
Duration Of Pain
Is the severity of your injury long-lasting, which results in your experiencing a long duration of pain during recovery? This is a big factor that plays into your pain and suffering because it is literally the pain and suffering you are experiencing. Not only dealing with physical pain, but suffering includes your quality of life as a result of the injury. Things like not being able to participate in a favorite hobby, play with your kids, or earn an income for your family.
Emotional Distress
The nature of an injury can cause emotional distress in a person that deserves compensation. This can include PTSD-like symptoms that impact your overall quality of life. For example, if you were involved in a serious car accident, then you may have problems getting back in a car and driving again due to high anxiety. Depression can also be a form of emotional distress, which can be diagnosed by a therapist.
Permanent Disfigurement
It's possible that your injury caused some sort of permanent disfigurement. It can be something as minor as a permanent scar, or something major like a missing limb. No matter how big or small a permanent disfigurement is, you deserve to receive compensation for it. Your body will forever be altered as a result of the accident, and there is no way to otherwise fix the problem so that it can go away.
Contact a law firm to learn more about your personal injury situation.
Share8 February 2023
When I started my first small business, I had no idea how much I really didn’t know. I was fully prepared to deal with customers, sell product and even handle complaints and returns. What I wasn’t aware of was that there is so much more to it. I was lacking the legal expertise to protect the company and myself. I wanted others to benefit from my experience, mistakes and lessons learned, so I started this blog. From employment law to the legal business contracts you’ll have to sign when you form partnerships, business law is complex. I hope that the information here will help you to be better prepared when you start your business so that you’ll know when you need to call an attorney and when you can handle things yourself.
