Su Guía Completa sobre Daños por Dolor y Sufrimiento

Si resultó lesionado en un accidente, puede solicitar compensación por cualquier pérdida que haya sufrido para no tener que pagar de su bolsillo las facturas médicas, salarios perdidos y daños a la propiedad. Pero como probablemente se ha dado cuenta, las consecuencias de un accidente grave no se limitan a huesos rotos y daños materiales. Puede cambiar toda su vida de maneras que son difíciles de cuantificar. Es por esto que las reclamaciones por lesiones personales le permiten solicitar daños por dolor y sufrimiento. Estos son diferentes de los daños económicos destinados a pagar cirugías, reparaciones de automóviles e ingresos perdidos. También conocidos como daños no económicos, los daños por dolor y sufrimiento le compensan por las formas menos tangibles en que un accidente grave le afecta. Antes de buscar compensación por dolor y sufrimiento, debe aprender qué es, cómo se calcula y cómo un abogado de lesiones personales puede ayudar con su reclamación.

¿Qué Es el Dolor y Sufrimiento?

Si resultó lesionado en un accidente causado por otra persona, es probable que ya sepa que puede presentar una reclamación contra la parte culpable para cubrir sus costos de tratamiento médico y reparación de propiedad. Pero ¿qué hay de la ansiedad o el TEPT con el que lucha después del accidente, o el hecho de que ya no puede disfrutar de su deporte favorito porque su rodilla nunca será la misma? Si siente que es injusto que le queden consecuencias de por vida de un accidente que no causó, tiene razón. Merece una compensación más allá de sus costos reales del accidente, y es por eso que existen los daños por dolor y sufrimiento.

¿Cuál Es la Definición de Dolor y Sufrimiento?

Dolor y sufrimiento es un término que describe el dolor físico y emocional que a menudo sufren las víctimas de accidentes. Este tipo de pérdida no es tan tangible como otras pérdidas. Si bien todos pueden ver que tiene una pierna rota o un auto abollado después de un accidente automovilístico, no pueden ver la depresión o el dolor paralizante con el que tiene que lidiar después. Hay dos tipos de dolor y sufrimiento. Uno es emocional, que aborda la angustia psicológica y mental que puede causar un accidente grave. Ejemplos comunes de dolor y sufrimiento emocional incluyen: – Ansiedad – Miedo intenso – Dolor – TEPT – Insomnio – Depresión – Humillación – Ira – Pérdida del disfrute de la vida Si ha notado estas emociones después del accidente, debe saber que no está solo. Es común que las víctimas lesionadas tengan emociones intensas después de experimentar una situación que cambia la vida. Si bien la compensación monetaria no puede retroceder en el tiempo para evitar que ocurra el accidente, puede permitirle tomarse un tiempo libre del trabajo para sanar su estado emocional y pagar la terapia si es necesario. Muchas personas que luchan con el dolor y sufrimiento emocional también lidian con consecuencias físicas, como lesiones importantes e incluso discapacidades. Es por esto que el otro tipo de dolor y sufrimiento es físico. Esto se refiere a cómo una lesión de por vida puede afectar significativamente su rutina diaria y su vida en general. Si va a sentir dolor o molestias durante años y probablemente nunca podrá disfrutar de su pasatiempo favorito nuevamente debido a sus lesiones, merece una compensación. Incluso si se espera que se recupere eventualmente, es probable que haya pasado meses soportando el proceso de curación, lidiando con el dolor y requiriendo ayuda de la familia para continuar con su rutina diaria. Debe ser compensado por el dolor físico y emocional que está atravesando, y es por eso que debe buscar daños por dolor y sufrimiento.

¿En Qué Se Diferencia el Dolor y Sufrimiento de los Daños Económicos?

When you think about the compensation you expect from an injury accident, you probably think about economic damages. These typically include compensation for your medical bills, such as surgery, follow-up doctor appointments, and medications. Economic damages will also pay to repair or replace a damaged vehicle or other personal property. If you had to take weeks or months off work because of your injuries, your economic damages will include the income you lost. Simply put, economic damages are simple to identify and calculate, as they typically have a clear cost. Non-economic damages are more difficult to prove and quantify, as it can be hard to put a price on the pain and depression you have endured since the accident. Fortunately, an experienced personal injury attorney knows how to calculate pain and suffering damages, so help is available if you want to seek this compensation.

What Types of Cases Typically Qualify for Pain and Suffering Damages?

To be eligible for pain and suffering damages, you must have been affected enough to have emotional or physical struggles that severely impact your life. Considering that even a relatively minor car accident can cause physical pain, PTSD, nightmares, and other serious issues, it should come as no surprise that most personal injury claims ask for pain and suffering damages. Here are some of the most common types of claims that involve pain and suffering damages: – Car accident – Truck accident – Pedestrian accident – Motorcycle accident – Bicycle collision – Slip and fall accident – Medical malpractice – Products liability – Dog bite You can also obtain pain and suffering damages in a wrongful death claim. For example, if losing your loved one has led to intense grief for your family, you may be able to ask for damages for loss of consortium. This often refers to the fact that your loved one’s death led to the loss of care, comfort, companionship, intimacy, or guidance from them. Through no fault of your own, you now have to live without these important benefits, and you deserve to be compensated while you deal with these losses. If you were injured or lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence, talk to an attorney about pursuing a personal injury or wrongful death claim. They can tell you whether you should seek damages for pain and suffering in addition to your economic damages.

How Can You Prove Pain and Suffering?

If your attorney determines that you should seek compensation for pain and suffering, the next step is to prepare to strengthen your claim with evidence. A skilled attorney will guide you through this process, but it is helpful to know what to expect before you begin your case.

Why is it harder to prove pain and suffering than economic damages?

Non-economic damages are notoriously harder to prove than economic damages. After all, when you seek compensation for economic damages, you can gather your receipts for medical bills you’ve paid and estimates for future medical care. This will determine how much you’ll be compensated for medical bills. Similarly, when you need money for car repairs after a car accident, you can prove your claim with receipts and estimates from a mechanic. In contrast, you can’t show receipts showing what your chronic pain, anxiety, or depression have cost you since the accident. You also can’t hand over estimates quantifying the expected losses you’ll face due to physical and emotional pain. This is why it’s important to hire an experienced personal injury attorney to strengthen your request for compensation with evidence. After all, while proving pain and suffering isn’t as simple as establishing your need for economic damages, it can certainly be done with the help of the right attorney.

What Evidence Can Strengthen Your Pain and Suffering Claim?

Obtaining compensation for pain and suffering requires you to prove that you are struggling with emotional or physical distress, and that the accident directly caused it. This will require solid evidence. While you may not have receipts showing exactly how much your losses are worth, you can find ways to show how much your life has been affected by what happened to you. Medical records are among the most important types of evidence. If you suffered serious injuries or are now disabled, proving this with medical records will lend credibility to your claim that the accident changed your life. For example, if you suffered a traumatic brain injury, medical records showing this will support the idea that you deal with frequent headaches that prevent you from enjoying life. These are the most common types of evidence that will support your request for pain and suffering damages: – Medical records detailing your diagnosis and treatment after the accident – Records from a psychologist or counselor discussing your emotional state – Photos of the injury or disability causing constant pain and loss of enjoyment of life – Witness statements who can attest to your emotional and physical pain – Personal journal detailing how your emotional and physical problems affect your routine – Video showing how much help you need on a daily basis after the accident The more evidence you can include for the insurance company or judge to review, the more likely you are to win pain and suffering damages. If you can’t find evidence to support your claim, schedule a consultation with an attorney to find out if these damages are worth pursuing for your case.

How Can a Lawyer Help with This Step?

If you’re not sure how to gather evidence on your own, especially as you struggle with emotional and physical trauma, you’re not alone. Many injured victims lack the time and energy to find evidence for their claims as they’re still dealing with pain, insomnia, medical appointments, and other issues related to their accident. This is where a skilled personal injury attorney comes in. Your attorney will talk to you to learn more about how the accident happened, what physical and emotional injuries you suffered, and how it has changed your life. They can then determine what evidence would be appropriate to include with your compensation claim. Experienced attorneys can request the police report, medical records, and photos from the scene. They can also contact witnesses for testimony about how the accident has affected their life. If your case ends up in the courtroom, you’ll be especially glad to have an attorney on your side. Knowledgeable attorneys know how to present evidence to a judge and jury in a way that will have maximum impact. They can tell a moving story in the courtroom to make it clear that the accident has changed your life in a number of ways, and that getting compensation will help with the healing process. As such, an attorney can do more than just tell you what evidence you need for your claim. They can gather it for you and put it together in a compelling way that paints a vivid picture of how the accident changed everything for you. This will improve your chances of getting the damages you deserve.

How Much Money Can You Receive for Pain and Suffering?

If your attorney tells you that seeking pain and suffering damages is a good idea and you begin gathering evidence, your next question might be about how much money you can expect. Every case is unique, so there’s no way to know how much you’ll receive until you begin your claim, but it’s helpful to learn how pain and suffering damages are calculated.

What Factors Will Affect Your Pain and Suffering Claim?

In general, the amount of money you get depends on how severely the emotional and physical pain has damaged your quality of life. For example, a permanent disability will result in higher compensation than a temporary injury that is expected to heal over time. After reviewing the details of the accident and your evidence, your attorney can tell you an estimated amount to expect. But in most cases, these factors will influence the amount you are awarded: – Your age – The type and severity of your injuries – The length of your expected recovery time – The extent of medical care you will need – The impact the injuries have left on your routine and overall quality of life – The mental and physical pain people with your injuries typically suffer – The strength of the evidence you present

How is Pain and Suffering Calculated?

There are two ways that insurance companies can calculate the amount of pain and suffering damages to award to injured victims. One is the multiplier method, which adds up the actual damages for costs like medical bills, lost wages, and property repair. They then multiply that total by a number between 1.5 and 5, depending on the severity and permanence of your injuries. So, if your economic damages total $5,000 and the insurance company chooses 3 as the multiplier, you could get $15,000 in pain and suffering damages. The other way to calculate these damages is through the per diem method. This assigns a dollar amount to the level of pain and suffering you deal with each day, starting with the day of the accident and ending on the day your doctor attests that your condition will not improve any further. If your pain is valued at $150 per day, and you have reached maximum recovery after 200 days, you could get $30,000 for pain and suffering. Putting a dollar value on pain can be difficult,