According to the CDC, unintentional injuries contribute to around 8% of deaths and disabilities every year globally, costing governments billions in health care and lost productivity.
Since all money spent by governments comes from taxpayers, it seems a little unfair that the man on the street should pay for injuries caused by specific individuals.
Have you experienced pain, suffering, or injury in a recent incident involving another person or company? It only makes sense that you should make the guilty party pay.
Check out these pain and suffering settlement examples to see when you should lawyer up, and they should pay up.
1. Car Accidents
Automobile incidents comprise the majority of injury claims. If you’re involved in an MVA, you can make sure you receive a settlement that goes beyond paying for your auto repairs.
Many insurance companies try to brush over claims for pain and suffering damages relating to car accidents. Yet, if you get a lawyer to handle your case, you can receive thousands of dollars to pay for medical bills and trauma related to the incident.
2. Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice claims are another common type of personal injury claim. They stem from injury or suffering caused by a doctor’s negligence or lack of expertise.
The average settlement in these claims is around $135,000 or $3,500 per incident. So, if you’ve received substandard medical care from a healthcare provider, it’s in your best interest to speak up.
3. Premises Liability
Nobody should get injured while walking down the street or shopping for groceries. If this happens to you, you can launch a personal injury lawsuit against those responsible for the premises.
These incidents include things like falling down a flight of stairs, slipping on a wet floor, stumbling over an obstacle, or a dog bite.
The value of these claims depends on the severity of the injury as well as the degree of negligence involved.
One case, involving a navy veteran, resulted in a $69 million injury claims settlement. That’s after he became paraplegic due to a mugging incident in an insecure parking lot.
4. Mental Pain and Suffering Settlement Examples
According to Ybarra Maldonado Law Group, it’s much easier to claim physical damages due to written evidence of medical costs. Mental anguish is much harder to prove.
That said if you can provide evidence of mental or emotional suffering such as a professional diagnosis of PTSD or depression related to the incident. Other aspects like fear are more difficult to quantify and rely solely on convincing the jury that you’re a reliable witness.
That doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to compensation for losing out on your quality of life. In 2012, an Oklahoma truck driver received $5 million in damages for mental anguish despite a statutory limitation of $350,000.
Know Your Rights
Often, we miss out on opportunities to get what we deserve in life through lack of information. This applies to both big and small issues we might encounter in daily life.
These pain and suffering settlement examples should bring some clarity to your questions about this area of law. If you’d like more information on interesting topics, browse some more of our blog articles.
