How Much do You get for Pain and Suffering in a Car Accident?

Every day in Texas, countless innocent victims are severely injured and even killed in car accidents caused by negligent drivers. In fact, San Antonio car wreck statistics show more than 200,000 collisions happen every year. As the state’s population continues to grow at such expeditious rates, these numbers are only expected to increase. In fact, experts estimate that approximately 3,000 car accidents occur every year in San Antonio alone.

Every three days, a fatality occurs on San Antonio roadways, and an average of two San Antonians each day suffer debilitating injuries in a car wreck. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, a total of 203 drivers involved in an automobile crash in Bexar County died behind the wheel in 2016; this is second only to the much larger cities of Houston and Dallas. The next closest is Tarrant County, with only 158.

When you are involved in a San Antonio auto accident, having someone by your side through the ordeal can be tremendously reassuring. The lawyers from Carabin Shaw have aggressively and effectively represented countless individuals involved in auto accidents since 1992. If you have been involved in a car, bus, commercial vehicle, or motorcycle accident, chances are that various questions may arise. At Carabin Shaw, our attorneys have the answer.

The repercussions of an auto accident can include one or more of a multiplicity of physical, psychological, and financial hurts. Some develop immediately, such as immediate trauma and lost wages while you are in the hospital. However, sometimes there are often much deeper, long-lasting issues brought about by the accident.

Such injuries and other forms of loss may take months or even years to heal; in some cases of impairment, such as paralysis or loss of limb, they can never be fully restored and thus require an entirely new approach to all aspects of everyday life. The common thread among the many tragic possibilities is that they all qualify as as ‘pain and suffering’. Such examples include:

• Loss of current wages
• Loss of future wages
• Job loss
• Hospital bills
• Prescription costs
• Head and neck injuries
• Broken bones
• Loss of limb
• Paralysis
• Physical rehabilitation
• Mental rehabilitation

All of these serious situations are terrible enough on their own; without the assistance of an experienced personal injury attorney, many victims are sometimes left suffering without any way to cope with these expenses.

According to Texas personal injury laws, how much you will get for pain and suffering in a car accident once you file a claim depends on what caused the pain and suffering and the degree to which it affects the victim. The easiest way to determine what compensation can be obtained is to employ the use of the multiplier which insurance companies use when calculating estimates of damages and losses.

The multiplier relies on a range of 1 to 5, where 1 involves minimal pain and suffering, and 5 includes severe damages which require long term attention and life-altering consequences. Other factors may also affect this rating, such as the degree of your responsibility (if any) or the cost of future treatment for any injuries suffered, physical or otherwise.

Once a 1―5 rating has been assigned, lost wages, hospital bills, and other ‘special damages’ deemed as pain and suffering are added together and subsequently multiplied by this number. In recent years, insurance companies seem more reluctant than ever to concede the just amount of compensation and may manipulate calculations to undervalue claims. In these cases, the voice of a lawyer who will argue your case can be the difference between accurate remuneration and inadequate compensation.

If you or someone you love has suffered from a car accident at the hands of another motorist, you shouldn’t have to worry about how much you might get for pain and suffering in a car accident. You have options, and you deserve to know them. The San Antonio lawyers at the law firm of Carabin Shaw can help guide you through the process of filing a personal injury claim.

Injuries as a result of a negligent driver may qualify you to file a personal injury claim against any responsible parties. Do not hesitate to contact an experienced San Antonio auto accident lawyer from Carabin Shaw today. Our friendly representatives are ready to assist you twenty-four-seven, and the first consultation with our attorneys is absolutely free.

To learn how much your pain and suffering is worth, call our San Antonio office at 210-222-2288 or toll-free at 800-862-1260.