13 Examples of Pain and Suffering (That Could Increase Your Settlement)
Posted on: August 29, 2025But what are some examples of pain and suffering?
Medical bills and car repairs are straightforward after an accident—you can point to receipts and estimates. But what about the sleepless nights, the chronic pain, or the anxiety that keeps you from driving again? These damages fall under pain and suffering, and they can be just as life-changing as your physical injuries.
Under Florida’s serious injury threshold, you may be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering—but insurance companies will do everything they can to argue you don’t qualify. That’s why it’s so important to understand what counts. In this article, we’ll share 13 real examples of pain and suffering that may apply to your case, and explain how they can affect the value of your settlement.
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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
When lawyers talk about pain and suffering damages, they usually mean both physical injuries and emotional distress. Victims often deal with both after an accident and proving these examples of pain and suffering can be the key to maximizing compensation.
1. Physical Impairment
An accident may leave you unable to move freely, perform daily tasks, or return to work. These limitations are among the most clear-cut examples of pain and suffering, and they often require extensive medical records to prove.
2. Physical Pain
Even after treatment, many victims experience ongoing pain—back injuries, migraines, nerve damage—that disrupt sleep, strain relationships, and reduce productivity. This type of chronic pain can greatly increase a settlement.
3. Disfigurement
Scarring, burns, or amputations create lasting physical reminders of an accident. These injuries are not only visible but often permanent, making them strong evidence of pain and suffering.
4. Loss of Quality of Life
When your days revolve around doctor visits, therapy appointments, or medication side effects, your overall quality of life is drastically reduced. This long-term impact is a recognized category of pain and suffering damages.
5. Loss of Enjoyment of Life
Accidents can strip away activities and hobbies that once brought joy—whether it’s golfing, jogging, or even taking daily walks. If you can no longer participate in the things you once loved, you may be entitled to additional compensation.
6. Grief
The loss of a spouse, child, or loved one brings deep emotional pain. Even if your loved one survives but suffers a life-altering brain injury, the grief of losing who they once were is compensable under pain and suffering.
7. Depression
Depression goes beyond sadness. After an accident, it may leave you feeling hopeless, unmotivated, and unable to return to normal life. This type of mental anguish is a common form of pain and suffering.
8. Anger
Some victims struggle with chronic anger or irritability after a traumatic injury, especially when linked to PTSD or brain trauma. This emotional toll affects not just the victim, but everyone around them.
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9. Anxiety
Car accidents often leave victims with fear of driving, panic attacks, or insomnia. Anxiety about future health, finances, or permanent disability can also be cited as a form of pain and suffering.
10. Inconvenience
Endless medical appointments, time away from work, and disruptions to family life create significant hardship. This “inconvenience” goes far beyond annoyance—it represents a genuine loss of normalcy.
11. Embarrassment, Humiliation, or Indignity
Visible injuries, speech impairments, or mobility issues can leave victims feeling ashamed or ridiculed. Emotional vulnerability caused by an accident is a recognized example of pain and suffering.
12. Sexual Dysfunction
Accidents sometimes result in reduced desire, physical limitations, or inability to enjoy intimacy. Though difficult to discuss, sexual dysfunction is a valid and compensable form of pain and suffering.
13. Loss of Companionship
If an accident robs you of affection, intimacy, or the care of a spouse, parent, or child, this loss is compensable. In many cases, spouses may even have separate claims for this type of pain and suffering.
If any of these examples of pain and suffering sound familiar, you may be entitled to compensation under Florida law. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help prove these damages and ensure you don’t settle for less.
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.
At Beers & Gordon, we know how to demonstrate pain and suffering—from medical records and expert testimony to the daily impact on your work and family life. If you’ve been injured in Florida, don’t settle for less.
Contact us today for a free consultation and let us fight for the full value of your pain and suffering claim.
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.