How Pain, Suffering & Emotional Distress are Calculated

A women sitting outside with her head in her hands
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Dealing with a car wreck is hard. Adding up certain costs is easy. There are medical bills and lost wages for the time you missed from work. But that's not the full cost of an injury. For starters, there's the pain. There are the things you haven't been able to do. The burdens on your loved ones and the sleepless nights add up. Sometimes pain persists, and you and your family are ready for it to go away. You are entitled to be compensated for this, too. Sometimes, these personal losses are worse than the "economic" ones. But how can you put a price tag on them?

How Is Pain And Suffering Calculated?

It is typically the job of an attorney to calculate pain and suffering in a personal injury case. There are no easy formulas. Pain is not something jurors can see. It takes experience and the skill to explain to a jury how your life has been changed.

An attorney can help you collect the critical information you will need. If your injuries leave you bruised or swollen, we will be sure we have photographs to help make it real for the insurance adjuster or jurors, if your case goes to court. We can help prove your pain and suffering. An experienced attorney has seen people in your situation and knows what will be important in tallying these “non-economic” damages. At Thorp Law, our team can explain how to show the cost of your emotional distress and suffering.

Maybe your spouse can explain how your day-to-day life has changed. If your neighbor has helped you with errands or loaded your wheelchair into your car, we might be able to put that in front of a jury. We can help jurors understand what your life has been like, how much you’ve been through and the fears you have for the future. And we can help get you what you need to face that future.


Contact us online or by phone at (919) 373-3390 to learn more about how Thorp Law can protect your rights to compensation after an injury. We offer free consultations and work on a contingency fee basis – you don’t pay us unless we win.