Far too much attention is paid on recovering “pain and suffering” after car accidents or other cases in which a person has been injured. The media too often latches onto a case in which a large amount of money has been awarded on the grounds of the pain and suffering of the victim. Sometimes, it is inferred that, because of these large awards and settlements based on this issue, the jury system is somehow out of control.
Actually, personal injury victims are entitled to much more than compensation for pain and suffering. They are entitled to reimbursement for medical expenses. They are also entitled to recompense if their credit rating suffers due to the non-payment of these bills, in cases when the negligent party’s insurance company refuses to pay. As Phoenix personal injury lawyers, we understand that injury victims are also entitled to collect for every dollar they lost from being unable to work. This is also true for future income that an injured party will lose because of the injury.
Serious injuries often require ongoing medical treatment. An injury victim who has suffered a severe injury or permanent disability is entitled to compensation for future medical expenses as well as those that have already been incurred.
Part of a settlement or award can be due to pain and suffering, but this is just a small part of any compensation. Arizona law states that a negligent driver must pay to a point that the injured party is returned to the state in which he or she originally was. It often takes a lot of money to get a person back to his or her original state, and sometimes this cannot be done at all.
It is not so much about fairness, either, but how much a Maricopa County jury might award in such a case. In cases where an insurance company or the defendant that caused a serious Chandler car accident is unwilling to compensate the victim fairly, it comes down to what a jury in Chandler would do. A savvy Maricopa County personal injury attorney will have a good idea about whether an offer for settlement is significantly less than what a Chandler jury would award, and thus be able to ensure the injured party the compensation that he or she deserves.
