Traversing the rocky terrain of handling injuries sustained from a car accident is no easy feat. Not only is the injury itself, both literally and figuratively, a pain, but the mounting cost of medical bills, damage to your vehicle, and other monetary costs are sure to add additional stress. That’s why it’s necessary to find a personal injury attorney who can help you recover the damages, economic and non-economic alike, that you received from a car accident.

The Difference Between Economic and Non-Economic Damages

In a personal injury lawsuit, there are two types of damages to consider: economic and non-economic. Economic damages are more objective, like lost wages, medical expenses and injury costs. Non-economic damages usually refer to more abstract costs of injury, like pain and suffering and symptoms like insomnia, depression, and loss of enjoyment of life, things that are more difficult to measure and are subjective according to the individual involved in the accident.

Measuring Pain and Suffering.

It’s difficult to measure pain and suffering because of how subjective they are. The amount awarded depends on the jury assigned that day and documented evidence of the plaintiff’s hardships. If someone is suing to receive damages for pain and suffering, a jury is required to use their best judgment to determine how much to award a plaintiff.

The attorney handling your case may consider the following factors while arguing for damages:

• The severity of the injury
• The degree of pain associated with the injury
• Amount of economic loss suffered
• Effect on the family
• The potential for ongoing consequences

Some attorneys apply a “multiplier method.” This means the attorney multiplies your economic damages, like lost wages, by a certain number, usually between one and five. So if you lost over $100,000 in wages from your injury, your lawyer might argue that you are entitled to three times that amount for the pain and suffering you endured.

Am I Eligible to Recover Damages?

Unfortunately, you can’t sue for pain and suffering if you only dealt with a minor inconvenience from a mild injury, like whiplash. A jury usually considers these factors in a personal injury case:

• Age of the victim. Younger victims are more inclined to get larger pain-and-suffering damages since they’ll more than likely have to deal with the pain for the rest of their lives.
• Type of injury. The more serious the injury, the greater chance you’ll receive damages for pain and suffering.
• Lasting effects of the injury. The jury will consider past, present and future sufferings, including the certainty of future pain.

Find an Attorney Today

Suing for damages from pain and suffering is quite an intricate process. The more help you have, the better. That’s why getting the right attorney on your team is an important first step. If you find yourself in need of a personal injury attorney in Houston, TX, then the team at Mukerji Law Firm stands ready to advocate before the court on your behalf. Our team focuses on seeking justice for all types of personal injury claims and lawsuits. We’ll conduct a thorough investigation of all the facts of your case; and if need be, we’ll take it to trial to make things right.