• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

___ Appropriate compensation for pain & suffering? ___

B

Blain

Lifer
I was involved in an auto accident last week. My vehicle was totaled but I didn't have to be hospitalized.
I did miss one night of work because my neck and shoulder were sore. I visited my family doctor two days after the wreck.
He took several x-rays and prescribed me some medicine for the pain. He said the x-rays showed no damage, but that my pain was probably due to my neck muscles being strained from the force of the accident. By the 4th day after the accident, the majority of my pain was all gone.

The other driver's insurance company has accepted full responsibility for the damages. I'm not sure I'll get what my 1986 Chevy S10 was worth to me.
I'm assuming I'll be offered some type of settlement for...
* My truck,
* My lost wages for the one night,
* My doctor visit and x-rays,
* My prescription costs.
What would "appropriate damages" be for 3 days of pain & suffering be? 😱

I have never been involved in an accident this serious before, so I'm a Noob to the world of personal injury. :laugh:

Thanks!
 
11ty billion dollars.

Really I have no clue. I guess was the accident blatantly the other person's fault? Were they doing something really stupid? If so maybe ask for more.
 
I was traveling in the left lane and had slowed down to passed an accident in the right lane of the hiway.
The other driver must have been looking at the accident, because he collided with the left rear of my truck pretty hard. That force pushed my truck towards the right and clipped another gentleman's truck fender. I was then spun off the roadway to the right shoulder.

BTW, The medical insurance adjustor offered me $500 over the phone for my pain and other medical expenses. I told them that I couldn't accept the $500 because I haven't received the bills in the mail yet. Therefore I have no idea what the actual costs would be.
 
Depends if you want to settle in court or out of court. If you want to do the whole court thing, ask for $30K... if you want a quick settlement, I dunno.... $5K?
 
Appropriate compensation for pain that neither caused hospitalization, nor was resultant of anything more than a sprained muscle is exactly $0.00.

You do realize that frivolous lawsuits make everyone's auto insurance rates go up, right?

 
Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Appropriate compensation for pain that neither caused hospitalization, nor was resultant of anything more than a sprained muscle is exactly $0.00.

You do realize that frivolous lawsuits make everyone's auto insurance rates go up, right?
Click to expand...
WTF??? I said nothing about a law suit. I didn't even sound mad in my original post. 😱
I'm just trying to find out exactly what my title suggests... "Appropriate compensation for pain & suffering?"
I understand that accidents happen. I don't have any desire to rape the insurance company or drag them into court.
But the actions of their client caused me bodily harm. The pain of that harm caused me to miss a day of work. It lasted for 3 days, period... end of story.

They do have an obligation to compensate me for the harm their client caused me. I'm simply asking here, if anyone happens to know about how much that should be.

 
Sh!t happens. The settlement you reach with the other driver is for your vehicle, lost wages, and medical bills, not for the anguish of having been in an accident.

If someone indeed should compensate you for this, then the other driver should be compensated for the mental anguish of having caused an accident and watching his insurance go up.

Thus, to answer your question, the appropriate amount is $0. Suck it up and move on.
 
A friend of mine got his car smashed about three years ago by a careless driver. He recieved about the same injuries you describe, and he was in pain for about a week. IIRC, he got $1500 for pain and suffering. Gl on your quest
 
You want money for pain and suffering...meh. Give me 1/2 of what you get for posting this thread. My God, you think you're entitled to extra money?
 
All these people saying your not entitled to compensation are full of shlt, also you should wait a while the full extent of soft tissue injuries can take weeks to show up {rare} pinched nerves etc.

Based on the limited information you've given I would say imo minimum off a 1000 to 1500. also you should do a follow up visit with the doc so he can verify that your all recovered. remember part of this money is to compensate you for all the time and effort this accident will require, new car shopping work loss etc

 
I was knocked out for 3 hours.. and had a headache for 5 weeks.. and got 10k.. plus money for my car getting totalled. That was like 5 years ago.
 

Please ignore the people who say that you are not entitled to anything. This society is too litigious, but you do not have to sue or even get a lawyer involved to be fairly treated.

Just because you are not hurting now does not mean that there may be some side effects that will show up months or even years later, either physically or mentally.

If a lawyer gets involved, insurance often pays out treble (3X) damages on the medical expenses (lawyer gets 1/3, hospital gets 1/3, you get 1/3). That is why lawyers often recommend extended therapy/ chiropractic to drive the bill higher.

If you indicate to the insurance company that you are willing to play nice, you have no current plans to get an attorney or to seek extended medical tratment, but that you want to make sure that you have money to cover any long-lasting effects from the accident, they should very happily give you an amount equal to your current medical bill.

Hope this helps. I am not a lawyer or an insurance agent, but I have become unwillingly acqainted with some reckless drivers over the years.
 
Standard is between $1000-$3000, then your lawyer will take 20% of that and your other expenses will be deducted. Some guy that had a stroke (but decided he could still drive two weeks after having it) pulled out in front of me 3 days before my only son was born, and I got a nasty case of whiplash. I couldn't hold him or bend over to take care of him for 2 weeks, and I only got a lousy $3000 (and this was with one of the best accident lawyers in the area). The only way to get more is to take it to trial, but juries aren't very generous and I could have ended up getting less. After lawyers fees and the deductions for repairs to my car were taken out of the reward, I got like $500 cash 🙁

Makes me mad that because someone else's bad judgement I had to miss out on the first two weeks of my son's life :|
 
Fritzo is correct. A couple grand should do it.

The other person's negligence caused you to have pain. You should be FAIRLY compensated for it.

I think $500 a day for pain is fair.

Folks, this is not frivolous. The fact that he is only claiming 4 days of pain shows he's being honest.

Frivolous would be exaggerating his claims of pain and suffering.
 
I had two accidents similar to your situation. Neither of them, I was at fault


First one the guy ran a red light and t-boned my car. Got taken to the hospital and released in a few hours. Missed a day of work and had some back pain. Car was gone. Got $7500 when all said and done

Second one, I had a chick run into the back of my pickup truck. No visible damage. Her insurance company looked at it and said the bumper needed to be replaced. Went to the doctor to get a check and all was fine. All said and done they gave me $2000. I was only going to ask for the cost of the bumper and repairs with doctors bills which was only like $800.

I never got a lawyer because the insurance compnaies offered money in both situations that covered all costs. No need for one.
IMO, get everything squared away, bills and costs, then ask for what you feel is reasonable for the bills, costs and vehicle. If they dont want to pay it, then go the lawyer route and let them know that you are. I would think most of the time that the insurance companies want to stay away from lawyers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top