How Much Should I Ask for Pain and Suffering from a Car Accident?
Ask anyone who’s been on the receiving end of a difficult car accident—the injuries you sustain often extend far beyond the physical. After suffering injuries in a severe accident, it’s likely you’ll deal with the lingering effects of emotional damages, too. Filing a civil claim against the party responsible for your losses might help, but what if you’re unsure how to calculate the value of your emotional distress?
When you submit your demand letter to the at-fault party’s insurance company, you may not know how much money is an accurate reflection of your emotional loss. The insurer, as a for-profit business, is likely to offer you much less than you’re really owed. If you’re wondering how much you should ask for in pain and suffering from a car accident, read on to learn about how these damages are calculated.
Types of Car Accident Damages Available in Virginia
After you’re injured in a car accident, some of the damages associated with those injuries are intuitive to calculate. When you go to the hospital or undergo surgery, there are expenses involved. Likewise, when you miss work during your convalescence, you suffer a financial hit from the missed paychecks.
The cost of things like medical bills and lost income are known as economic damages because they directly relate to a hard figure that can be calculated.
Non-economic damages, on the other hand, can seem more arbitrary. That’s because they represent a more abstract idea: the value of your emotional distress related to the accident. But just because they may be clear in a real-dollars sense doesn’t mean you should allow an insurance company to take advantage by offering you pennies on the dollar for your pain and suffering.
How Much Is Car Accident Pain and Suffering Worth?
Most insurance companies will use a version of a pain-and-suffering multiplier to calculate the amount of non-economic damages they feel you should earn. This could be a number, usually between one and five, by which your other damages are multiplied.
The more severe your pain-and-suffering, in theory, the higher this number should be. That’s why it’s not easy to know the real monetary value of your emotional damages without consulting a trusted attorney. Often, insurance companies will try to pay you the least amount possible in order to protect the company’s bottom line.
An experienced car accident attorney will figure out what to ask for based on a review of your case, and negotiate tirelessly for the best deal possible.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Richmond
Don’t let an insurance company try to lowball your pain-and-suffering payout. Before accepting a settlement offer, let a top-rated car accident lawyer from Halperin Law Center make sure you’re getting the best deal possible. It’s as easy as setting up a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.
Call 804-527-0100 or fill out the form below to request a case evaluation from a Richmond car accident lawyer from our firm today.
