When an event involving negligence leaves you with severe or catastrophic injuries, you need every cent you can get to help ensure your recovery. Most people believe that filing a simple insurance claim will yield a settlement addressing all their losses (property damage and injuries), but that is not always the case.
If your car or truck crash injuries are severe, you might be eligible for non-economic damages, otherwise known as pain and suffering. These damage awards are not handed out automatically. You must file a legal claim for them and fight to win.
What are pain and suffering damages?
Your insurance claim should address your financial losses if you get hurt in a crash. In other words, economic damages pay for or reimburse you for the money spent on your crash injuries.
Non-economic damages cover the hard-to-define losses that victims of vehicle accidents face. For example, if your injury prevents you from having intimate relations with your spouse, you may qualify for loss of consortium.
More types of pain and suffering damages include:
- Disfigurement
- Chronic physical suffering
- Psychological anguish or pain
- Damage to your quality of life
You must gather and present evidence to obtain pain and suffering damages. Examples of evidence that can strengthen your claim include:
- Medical bills
- Medical treatment records
- Mental health treatment reports and records
- Photos of the injury through recovery stages
- Proof of how the injury affected your employment
If necessary, testimony from expert medical, psychological or crash forensic professionals can also improve your odds of obtaining pain and suffering damages. Continue increasing your knowledge of Texas injury compensation laws to ensure you have the best chance of recovering from your accident injuries.