If you have sustained an injury during an accident, then you can claim damages and receive compensation for them. There are a number of different types of damages, including ones for property, missed days at work, and injuries. You have likely heard of pain and suffering as well. However, pain and suffering damages are far less concrete than the other types, especially since there is no easy way to calculate the damages. To understand the damages a bit better, keep reading to learn how pain and suffering may be calculated.

Per Day Rate

In many cases, pain and suffering are calculated based on the number of days that you need to endure the pain. The theory is that the pain from an injury is worth at least as much as the amount you make during a typical workday. If this theory is taken into account, then you can simply multiply the amount you make, or did make, during a typical day by the number of days you have had to deal with pain from your injury. 

Per day or per diem rates are typically increased if the injury is severe or if you did not make a great deal of money at your last job. For instance, if you made a bit over minimum wage, then your earnings may have been close to about $70 a day. Does this mean that you are owed less than an individual who happens to make less than you? Probably not, so your daily income can be multiplied by a multiplier of 1.5 or 2 in this case. Multipliers may also be added to the equation in cases of severe injuries. In general, multipliers are numbers between 1.5 and 5, depending on your situation, injury, and other special factors.

Single Settlement Amount

While the per diem calculation is reasonable in cases of short-term injuries, this is not always true of long-term ones. Basically, you cannot come up with a reasonable figure if you continue to multiply your pain and suffering by a daily rate. Even a basic calculation of $100 a day, multiplied by 20 years would end out to over $700,000. If damages are added on top of this, then it is easy to see how any personal injury with any long-term effects would end in a $1 million settlement. This is rarely the case.

In this situation, you can use a different formula where you add up all of your real costs and your future costs, like future medical bills, and multiply this number by a multiplier. The same multipliers can be used from 1.5 to 5 depending on the severity of your long-term disabilities.

Also, you can speak with your personal injury lawyer about similar cases that have been settled and the amount of money that was won during these other cases. Of course, you can always adjust the amount based on what you think is right, but this can help you to get an idea of what may be considered reasonable.