Suffering an injury of any kind is potentially a life-changing event. Depending on the severity of your injuries, you could make a full recovery, or you could end up debilitated for life. However, that’s not all there is to it.
The effects of injuries suffered due to someone else’s negligence go beyond personal injury. There is also a little matter of pain and suffering incurred during your ordeal. Today we’ll talk about this part of traumatic accidents and how you can seek compensation.
Understanding Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering is arguably one of the more common buzz terms within the law industry. However, the definition of pain and suffering is rarely what the majority of people think it is. For most, it’s just extra claim lawyers add to personal injury lawsuits.
However, pain and suffering relates to a wide range of damages. This is an umbrella term that covers both economic and non-economic losses. We’ll dig deeper into that classification a bit later. Right now, it’s important to mention one essential component to pain and suffering — the mental and emotional damage.
Namely, if you’re suffering any of the following symptoms as a result of your injury, you’re most likely eligible for pain and suffering compensation:
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- Anxiety
- Grief
- Trouble sleeping and Insomnia
- Depression
- Emotional distress
There are many more items that didn’t make the list. That being said, how do you prove any pain and suffering?
Proving Pain and Suffering Through Evidence
Just like any other claim, the one you file for pain and suffering has to be supported by a body of evidence. Naturally, economic damages are relatively simple to tally up and provide evidence for. That part of the job can be as easy as collecting bills and receipts for any expense you had to incur as a result of your personal injury.
However, it’s the non-economic damages that are much harder to prove. Trying to prove to the court that your lack of enjoyment in life is a direct result of your personal injury can be difficult. Injury law specialists at theclarklawoffice.com argue that non-economic damages claims require specialized knowledge. More importantly, they argue that lawyers representing the plaintiff have to be experienced in this type of proceedings.
A good lawyer is just half of the job. The other half is gathering a sufficient body of evidence. In most cases, you’ll need medical documentation and/or witness statements from your loved ones as well as people close to you.
Now that we know how to prove pain and suffering, let’s talk about what falls within the economic and non-economic categories.
Economic Damages
Economic damages include everything that you can get a receipt for. For example, you would add medical bills to your list of economic damages. Any ambulance rides, doctor’s visits, prosthetics, or medical accessories would end up in this group.
Another massive part of economic damages comes in the form of lost wages. Mind you, we’re not just talking about the wages you’re missed out on due to your inability to work, but also any future wages you won’t be able to collect as a result of your trauma.
What happens when your injury has left you with problems that have permanently increased your cost of living? If that is the case, you can most definitely add those costs to the list of economic damages and seek adequate compensation.
Non-Economic Damages
As far as non-economic damages go, this is where you’ll find any damages you’ve incurred that don’t have a clear price tag. In other words, things such as humiliation due to disfigurement, disfigurement itself, loss of a relationship with your spouse or partner, inability to enjoy things you’ve enjoyed prior to the accident, emotional damages, and more.
Pretty much anything that isn’t material and can’t be easily quantified falls into this category. A good lawyer will be able to use the non-economic loss and extrapolate what kind of compensation you can get.
Use Specialized Lawyers
Suffering an injury is stressful enough. You don’t need to go through the stress of starting a process that you’ll eventually lose. That’s why it’s absolutely imperative that you hire lawyers who specialize in this type of law. Make sure that you’re working with professionals who have both knowledge and experience when it comes to pain and suffering claims.
If you find the right law firm, not only will you most likely win whatever claim or lawsuit you’re filing, but you’ll also get the maximum compensation for your injuries. A good lawyer makes all the difference.
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