What Does Pain and Suffering Damages Cover?
When you are involved in an accident, you may suffer from severe injuries, both physical and mental. These injuries often result in overwhelming medical bills and lost wages due to missing work while recovering. When you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensatory damages. Compensatory damages include special and general damages. Special damages, such as medical bills, are economic and include a specific dollar value – but what about non-economic damages?
Non-economic damages are those damages that do not have a specific dollar value. One of the most common types of non-economic damages in personal injury cases is pain and suffering.
What Does Pain and Suffering Damages Include?
Pain and suffering is a type of “human damages” that is not necessarily quantifiable, but more so qualitative. It includes various things, such as:
- Disfigurement
- Future pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of services
- Mental anguish
- Physical pain and impairment
How Do You Calculate Pain and Suffering?
Pain and suffering damages can be a lot harder to determine, as unlike medical bills, they do not have a definitive number. To prove pain and suffering you must generally provide medical records and testimony. With this evidence in hand, the law calculates your pain and suffering based upon the severity of your injury. Each case is different.
In order to protect yourself and your interests, it is imperative that you document all of your pain and suffering after you have been injured. It can be a good idea to maintain open communications with your treating physicians since medical records can serve to back your claims. Journaling can also be a helpful act, as it not only allows your to get out your feelings, but can also serve as proof recording the realty of your suffering post-accident.
The Goss Law Firm Can Help
When you are involved in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, it can cause serious, often life-threatening physical injuries. But it can also result in mental suffering that can impact your life as much – if not more.
If you or a loved one has suffered physical or mental pain as a result of your accident, you should get the compensation that you deserve in order to move forward with your life. The Kansas City Personal Injury Lawyers at The Goss Law Firm will fight for your rights. To learn more or to schedule a FREE consultation, call 816-527-8658 today.