Car accident victims often have pain and suffering due to their injuries; sometimes, they may even experience permanent pain after a collision. How do car accident victims seek compensation for pain and suffering after a car crash in Connecticut?
What Will Insurance Cover for Car Accident Victims?
Insurance will cover economic losses and property damage to your car. Because Connecticut is an at-fault insurance state, the at-fault driver must compensate any other victims through their insurance policy.
Their insurance policy will cover many injuries and damage to your car or personal belongings up to the policy limits. Through an insurance claim, you can recover:
- Vehicle repair or replacement costs
- Medical bills for physical injuries
- Lost wages due to missed time from work
- Lost earning capacity
Insurance does not cover noneconomic damages like pain and suffering or mental anguish. An insurance company may also deny your claim or try to reduce the value of your claim.
Different Types of Damages for Car Accident Victims
Car accident victims may also file a lawsuit to seek economic, noneconomic, and in extreme cases, punitive damages. Economic damages include any losses or additional expenses caused by the accident or your injuries that you would not have sustained otherwise. These are calculable expenses using bills, invoices, and receipts.
Noneconomic damages are mental, emotional, or disabling injuries or conditions sustained in your car accident that don’t have a specific monetary value. Instead, the court may calculate and award noneconomic damages using a formula to estimate the real loss you suffered.
Noneconomic damages may include awards for:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental distress
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
- Permanent impairment or loss of function
- Death
Punitive damages are additional compensatory awards for the victim meant to punish the negligent party for excessive malice, recklessness, or contempt that led to the victim’s injuries. Connecticut law often limits punitive damages to attorney’s fees and litigation costs. However, in some circumstances, the court may award double or triple damages.
Methods to Calculate Pain and Suffering Compensation
How do you know how much compensation is appropriate for pain and suffering after a car crash in Connecticut? There are two ways to calculate pain and suffering awards.
Per Diem
For short-term injury claims, the court can assign a dollar value to the pain and suffering you might experience in a day. Then the court multiplies that by the number of days that it expects you need to recover based on a doctor’s estimate.
As an example, if the court awards you $200 per day, and your doctor says you are likely to recover in six months (180 days), your total award for pain and suffering would be $36,000.
Multiplier Method
For more serious injuries or a lengthier recovery process, the court may apply a multiplier between one and five to your total economic losses. The court will consider factors like:
- Severity of your injuries
- Negligence or recklessness by the at-fault driver
- Severity of your pain and suffering
- How much your pain and suffering affects your daily activities
- How long it will take you to recover, or if you will always experience pain
In this case, if your economic losses totaled $50,000 and the court multiplied that value by three, you’ll receive $150,000 for your pain and suffering award.
Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney in Connecticut
Knowing how much compensation you should likely receive for pain and suffering after a car crash in Connecticut is essential for your case. If you were injured in a car accident, call us today at the Law Offices of James A. Welcome at 203-753-7300 or contact us online to schedule a free injury consultation.