13 Examples of Pain and Suffering
Posted on: March 24, 2025But what are some examples of pain and suffering?
It’s easy to expect physical injuries after a car or motorcycle accident—broken limbs, concussions, punctured lungs, or even a traumatic brain injury. But “pain and suffering”? That’s a little harder to identify.
If you’ve found yourself in the middle of a personal injury case, you might be wondering if you’re eligible for pain and suffering damages. In this article, we’ll break down some examples of pain and suffering and address the way these claims have a legitimate cause for legal action.
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Some of the incidents that cause the most physical injury—medical malpractice, product liability, car accidents, slip and falls—also cause pain and suffering.
In most cases, pain and suffering damages are only granted if caused by a catastrophic physical injury—disability, loss of bodily function, scarring/disfigurement, or death. In automobile cases, you must suffer a permanent injury to be allowed to make a claim for pain and suffering damages. So, this determination can be vital to the value of your case.
13 Examples of Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering encompasses both bodily injury and mental anguish, and victims typically find that both are present after an injury.
Here are some examples of pain and suffering that may apply to your personal injury case.
1. Physical Impairment
Physical impairments are one of the most obvious and straightforward reasons for filing a personal injury lawsuit.
Not only has your life been significantly inconvenienced, but the evidence is hard to refute, particularly if that individual is limited in his or her ability to move, perform daily functions, or take actions that would normally have been easy. Most people, however, forget about the many accommodations they make for themselves, so you will want to keep track of any changes in your life.
2. Physical Pain
Although not as obvious as an impairment, physical pain can have a huge impact on your daily life. Even accident victims that have reached their maximum medical improvement may experience debilitating pain on a daily basis. Physical pain can affect your sleep, your work, and your relationships with your spouse, family, and friends.
3. Disfigurement
In the wake of an accident, as the months pass and your body heals, you may nevertheless be left with lifelong physical reminders, such as scarring, burns, and even lost limbs.
Fortunately, these types of claims are easy to prove, especially with images and personal testimony. If you can prove disfigurement, it should be easy to prove a permanent injury.
4. Loss of Quality of Life
After a suffering an injury, it is very likely that your daily life will change significantly. If your days are filled with doctor visits and rehab appointments and complicated by side effects from medications, you may feel that the quality of your life has been drastically reduced.
5. Loss of Enjoyment of Life
This is by no means a frivolous pursuit, especially when a clear line can be drawn between the experience of a car accident victim before and after the accident. Whether a mental or physical condition is to blame, the victim can longer participate in activities or hobbies that they had previously enjoyed.
These may be simple things—like taking a walk or enjoying a game of golf. The activities that apply to you will be different.
6. Grief
The loss of a child, spouse, relative, close friend, or other loved one can cause unimaginable grief that affects every aspect of your daily life.
And grief doesn’t always have to stem from a fatality. You can also suffer grief if a loved one is no longer the same person as a result of an accident. This can be especially true when a brain injury changes someone’s personality.
7. Depression
Depression is much more than a feeling of sadness; it is an overwhelming sense that nothing matters. If an accident is serious enough, the following emotional distress can be paralyzing. It can impact your desire to work, do activities you once enjoyed, or even spend time with your loved ones.
8. Anger
While the occasional angry outburst may seem understandable, chronic anger affects not just the victim, but everyone around them.
Anger issues can also stem from PTSD or may indicate the presence of a traumatic brain injury.
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9. Anxiety
Any added sense of worry, dread, or uneasiness that was not present in the victim of a car crash before the accident could make for a reasonable claim of personal injury.
Severe car accidents may lead to a fear of driving or riding in a vehicle, diminished response times, insomnia, or even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is also common to have anxiety about the future—especially when you’re dealing with a permanent injury.
10. Inconvenience
“Inconvenience” in a personal injury lawsuit may sound like the very definition of first world problems, but the issue goes much deeper than that.
The physical and mental consequences of an accident can actively hamper you from doing everyday activities—from work obligations to social events. And consider the negative effects caused by the combination of medical bills and lost wages.
11. Embarrassment, Humiliation, or Indignity
Embarrassment, humiliation, and indignity are forms of mental anguish, brought on by some kind of incident or injury that leaves a victim feeling emotionally vulnerable or ashamed.
This can range from feeling foolish after a slip and fall to others poking fun at the victim to openly abusive language because of the accident.
12. Sexual Dysfunction
Though uncomfortable for many to address (even with an attorney), a loss of physical pleasure, desire, arousal, or sexual function can negatively affect relationships and cause other emotional issues.
13. Loss of Companionship
This doesn’t only refer to married couples, you might also experience a loss of companionship, affection, security, or general care by a parent or child. If the accident victim was responsible for caring and providing for another person, that loss could be detrimental. Additionally, if it is a spouse, your spouse may have a separate claim.
How Pain and Suffering Affects Your Settlement
Unlike property damage or medical expenses, which come with clear receipts, pain and suffering settlements are difficult to quantify. Most of the time, they are based on how much the injury has affected your daily life, emotional well-being, and ability to work or engage in activities you once enjoyed.
There are two main methods used to calculate pain and suffering in personal injury claims:
- The Multiplier Method – This approach takes the total economic damages (such as medical expenses and lost wages) and multiplies them by a number (typically 1.5 to 5) depending on the severity of the pain and suffering.
- The Per Diem Method – This method assigns a daily monetary value to the pain and suffering experienced, multiplying that amount by the number of days the victim is affected.
To help prove pain and suffering, victims often rely on medical records, psychological evaluations, testimony from family members, and expert opinions from doctors or therapists.
Pain and Suffering Settlement Example:
Here’s a hypothetical case to see the difference that pain and suffering damages can make in your settlement amount.
You’re stopped at a red light when suddenly you’re hit from behind by a speeding vehicle. The crash results in whiplash, chronic pain, and lost wages in addition to PTSD and anxiety. You suffer from panic attacks most of the time you get behind the wheel.
Without pain and suffering, your settlement may look something like this:
- Medical expenses: $50,000
- Lost wages: $20,000
- Property damage: $5,000
- Total settlement amount: $75,000
However, because your chronic pain and PTSD are drastically affecting your life, your personal injury lawyer argues that you deserve compensation for pain and suffering.
If the per diem rate is set at $200 per day, and you experience pain and suffering for a year, you may be offered another $73,000. Under the multiplier method (3x, which is common for your injuries), that number jumps to $225,000.
Every case is different, and there’s no guarantee your settlement will be this high. But one thing is certain—if pain and suffering aren’t factored in, your compensation will likely be much lower. That’s why it’s important to work with a personal injury lawyer who knows how to prove pain and suffering and fight for the full amount you deserve.
Don’t Settle for Less—Make Sure Your Pain and Suffering Count
Pain and suffering aren’t just buzzwords—they represent the real impact an accident has on your life, from chronic pain to emotional trauma. Insurance companies won’t hand over extra compensation without a fight, and without the right legal strategy, you could be leaving money on the table.
If you’ve been injured and are wondering what your case is really worth, don’t guess—get answers. At Beers & Gordon, we know how to prove pain and suffering and fight for the full settlement amount you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation, and let’s make sure you don’t settle for less than what’s fair.
Jim Gordon
Jim Gordon earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Nebraska in 1997, and two years later began working at a firm in Orlando handling insurance defense matters on cases involving vehicle accidents, negligence, product liability, and more. He established Beers & Gordon P.A. with David Beers in 2009 to represent the rights of people injured because of negligence. He is a member of the invitation-only National Trial Lawyers organization and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
