You've been in an accident that wasn't your fault, and it is clear who was at fault in the accident. You know you'll be receiving compensation for the accident. Although you understand that you can get reimbursed for your medical expenses and for missed work, you may be wondering how much you can get for pain and suffering. The following are a few things you should know about this type of compensation.

Your Compensation May Be Calculated as a Multiplier

There are many factors that go into your pain and suffering. The type of injury you received and how long it took to recuperate from your accident are just two examples. With this method, your total medical expenses are added to your lost wages, and then there's a certain number that is multiplied to get the compensation amount for pain and suffering. This multiplier number is what your personal injury attorney will negotiate with the insurance company.

Your Compensation May Be Calculated Using the Per-Day Method

Using this method, the number of days from the time you first received treatment until the time that you have recuperated from your injuries will be the number of days that are used to calculate pain and suffering. Next, your attorney will determine how much pain and suffering you're entitled to per day. That number is then multiplied by the number of days you were hurt. Naturally, this per-day number will be negotiated by your attorney.

There May Be an Emotional Component That Adds to the Compensation

Using either the per-day method or the multiplier method will only give you a figure for the physical aspect of pain and suffering. However, there is the issue of psychological suffering. Because of the accident, you may have slipped into depression, or maybe you now have trouble sleeping. Although this type of suffering is hard to prove, if you have evidence, such as prescribed medications, your attorney may be able to link them to the accident. There are other psychological issues that may also apply. If your spouse was in the car during the accident and their life, you can be compensated for the loss of companionship.

Regardless of the method used to calculate your pain and suffering, the amount that you're entitled to will be negotiated between the insurance company and your attorney. This is why there's no fixed answer to how much you will receive. Although there is a relationship between the severity of an accident and compensation for pain and suffering, there is no fixed number to be found. In addition, psychological trauma can be compensated for, too, but you must document this. At the very least, make sure you see a doctor about your psychological problems from the accident.

You can find more information over at this website or by calling local personal injury law firms.