What Does Pain and Suffering Include?

By George Farah Apr 04, 2025
understanding pain and suffering in a personal injury case

After you’ve been hurt by someone else, you have substantial medical bills as a record of the physical pain you’ve endured.

It’s understandable to want to recover those financial costs, but what about the emotional and psychological toll?

Your non-economic damages address the value of your pain and suffering.

Here are examples of pain and suffering in personal injury cases:

  • Physical pain: According to an article in the National Library of Medicine1, the psychological impact of both acute and chronic pain can reduce a person’s ability to heal.
  • Emotional anguish: Feeling as if you have no rest from pain and limited activities can lead to anxiety, PTSD, depression, and other mood issues.
  • Isolation and embarrassment: If you suffer disfiguring or scarring from your injury, you may refrain from going out or seeing people, leading to a sense of loneliness and loss of reputation.
  • Loss of enjoyment of life: With constant pain or limited mobility, you may no longer be able to engage in your favorite hobbies, activities, or work. This can substantially reduce your mental condition and affect your social and professional relationships.
  • Permanent disability: Losing a limb, motor control, or cognitive function can leave you unable to care for yourself or work.
  • Loss of consortium: Losing the ability to share intimacy with your partner or spouse can dramatically affect your relationship, potentially causing it to end.
  • Loss of guidance and comfort: Being severely injured could mean you’re unable to provide guidance and support to your family members and children.

Fortunately, the law considers each case on its own merits, so you don’t have to meet a certain level of pain and suffering that may not apply to you adequately.

For example, a physically fit, younger person may bounce back from a car crash quickly with no long-term effects. Yet, an older person with pre-existing conditions could face a shortened lifespan and significant health issues as a result of a similar accident.

Farah Law Is Dedicated to Your Well-Being and Recovery

Most insurance policies do not cover these losses, although a skilled personal injury attorney will make every effort to negotiate some financial recognition of what you’ve suffered. If you have substantial pain and suffering, you may benefit from filing a personal injury lawsuit.

If you have questions about compensation for pain and suffering contact us today to setup a Free Consultation. There’s no obligation to get your case evaluated by our experienced personal injury lawyers. Contact us today.

 

Sources:

  • https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3052954/#:~:text=Greater%20acute%20pain%20immediately%20after,the%20experimental%20wound%20%5B11%5D.