The Role of Pain and Suffering in Oklahoma Personal Injury Claims
Damages refer to the losses that a victim of an injury event sustains, and they are compensable when a personal injury claim is filed. Damages could include lost income and wages, the cost of medical treatment, property repair bills, and pain and suffering. While medical expenses or property repairs are economic damages or damages that have a tangible cost associated with them, pain and suffering are non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are those that do not have a concrete value but rather can determined based on the discretion of a judge or jury.
If you were harmed in an injury accident in Oklahoma, you must ensure that when you file a claim for compensation it accounts for all of the financial damages you sustained, such as pain and suffering. In doing so, you must know the exact amount of your economic damages, and you also must have a firm grasp on what a fair value is for your non-economic damages like pain and suffering.
Evaluating a personal injury claim and calculating an accurate value can be complicated. An attorney who has experience with personal injury claims can help you with this difficult task and provide legal representation so you can get the most possible from your claim. The Oklahoma City personal injury attorneys at the Putnam Law Office offer complimentary consultations that you can schedule and have your case reviewed.
Pain and Suffering Damages
An injury accident can require costly medical treatment, but while you are working towards your recovery, you may also have to manage the physical pain of your injuries. Additionally, dealing with your injuries and coping with the trauma of your accident can cause you substantial emotional distress. Your physical pain and emotional distress may not come with a solid price tag, but they are still, nonetheless, damages that burdened you and that you should be compensated for. Pain and suffering damages can be considered a type of restitution for the totality of the harm that you had to endure after your accident.
Due to their subjective nature, there is no set formula for calculating how much pain and suffering damages a claimant has. Instead, a variety of factors will be reviewed to determine what is a reasonable financial number. For instance, the type and severity of your injuries, the amount of medical treatment you need, the liklihood of a full recovery, your age and physical condition, etc.
Your injuries may have caused you incredible pain and your accident experience could have left you quite distraught. You may legitimately have pain and suffering damages to include in your Oklahoma personal injury claim, but you have to prove it. You must show that your accident and resulting pain and suffering damages came from the negligence of another party.
Speak to an Attorney at the Putnam Law Office Today
Pain and suffering damages are abstract and can be difficult to assess. With the assistance of an attorney who has experience valuing claimants’ damages, the process is much easier.
For help with an Oklahoma personal injury case, please call the Putnam Law Office today at (405) 849-9149 to schedule a free consultation.
