How do you value pain and suffering after a car accident?

After a car accident, there are usually a lot of different bills that you have to deal with at once — including the cost of a rental vehicle, towing fees, repairs to your car, ambulance fees, hospital fees, doctor’s fees, lost wages and other tangible expenses.

What about the intangible costs of your accident? Those are the things that don’t come with a visible price tag attached, like the physical pain that you experienced during and after the accident, the frustration of not being able to do things for yourself or being unable to participate in important events in your life. What about the emotional aspects of reliving the trauma of the accident in your head or looking at the scars left behind on your body?

This is where pain and suffering come into a lawsuit over a car accident. Generally, the more devastating the accident and harsher the physical consequences, the larger your claim for pain and suffering will be. There are, however, ways to help maximize their value.

To support your claim for pain and suffering in a lawsuit over an auto accident, consider doing the following:

• Keep a file that records all of your expenses related to the accident. In many cases, the total cost of your tangible losses is used to factor the extent of your pain and suffering. That makes sense if you think about it — large medical bills tend to come from serious injuries, and serious injuries cause more suffering.
• Keep a journal of your personal experiences. You may find yourself being asked to cite examples of how your pain and suffering affected your personal life. Being able to pinpoint exact moments that you were suffering from excessive pain, unable to do something important or unable to care for yourself may be important.

For more ideas on how pain and suffering may be calculated in your case, speak with an experienced attorney.