Calculating Pain and Suffering Damages: The Legal Approach to Valuing Pain

When working on your personal injury claim, you may be thinking that only material losses like medical bills and lost wages can be recovered. However, damages for pain and suffering can add up to more than half of your claim’s value. Here’s a breakdown on what qualifies as pain and suffering damages and the best ways for calculating pain and suffering compensation into your personal injury claim.

What Is Pain and Suffering?

Pain and suffering are non-economic damages suffered from your injuries. These intangible damages can be classified as physical or emotional. Common pain and suffering damages include:

• Neck or back pain
• Broken or fractured bones
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

To recover expenses, it’s important to tie them back to your personal injury. If you can prove these ailments came from a personal injury, you can qualify to receive benefits.

Calculating Pain and Suffering Compensation

Calculating pain and suffering compensation can be difficult as each case is unique and can vary based on specifics. Rather than following a strict formula, there are two methods to calculating compensation:

• Multiplier Method: The multiplier method is where the court will add up economic damages such as medical bills and multiply them by a number between one and five. The degree of your multiplier depends on the severity of your pain and suffering.
• Per Diem Method: The per diem method assigns a specific monetary value of pain and suffering per day and multiplies by the amount of days from injury to full recovery. The daily value is determined based on your injuries.

Calculating pain and suffering compensation is just one of the many complex processes of a personal injury claim. It takes time and effort to put together a strong case. That’s why you’ll want an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side to help prove your pain and suffering and get you the benefits you deserve.

Your Missouri Personal Injury Experts

If you’ve been the victim of a personal injury in Missouri, the experts at Lanzotti & Rau are here to help you receive the compensation you are due. To learn more about our legal services or schedule a consultation, call the team at Lanzotti & Rau today at 573-335-9300.