Following a car accident, the physical injuries are often just one part of the recovery process. Emotional distress, anxiety, disruption of daily life, and chronic pain can all linger long after the body begins to heal. These elements fall under what is known as “pain and suffering” in personal injury claims, and they carry significant weight when calculating compensation. But because they’re non-economic and intangible, determining their value is far more complex than adding up receipts or medical bills. We will explore how your lawyer approaches this process, what factors influence the final figure, and why each detail matters in helping you receive fair compensation for your suffering.

Key Methods Lawyers Use to Calculate Pain and Suffering

1.  The Multiplier Method and How It Works

One of the most common methods used to calculate pain and suffering is the multiplier method. It starts with adding up all your economic damages—this includes medical bills, lost wages, physical therapy costs, and any other out-of-pocket expenses directly tied to your injury. Once that figure is established, your lawyer applies a multiplier, usually ranging between 1.5 and 5, depending on the severity and permanence of your injuries. A Lansing car accident attorney you can count on will ensure that the multiplier applied is justified and backed by strong evidence. The choice of the multiplier isn't arbitrary. It’s based on medical records, the extent of your injury, the expected recovery time, whether your daily life was disrupted, and the long-term consequences. 

An injury that leads to a permanent disability or causes prolonged emotional distress would warrant a higher multiplier. Your lawyer also considers how the injury affects your ability to enjoy life, work, care for family members, and engage in hobbies. These qualitative factors are supported by documentation such as journals, witness statements, and photographs that capture your post-accident condition. This method provides a structured yet adaptable approach to quantifying suffering, enabling attorneys to anchor emotional damage to measurable data.

2.  The Per Diem Approach Explained

Another strategy your lawyer might use is the per diem (Latin for “per day”) approach. This method assigns a daily monetary value to the pain and suffering you experience, multiplied by the number of days your recovery or suffering continues. Determining the daily rate often reflects your typical daily wage or a figure your attorney believes fairly represents the discomfort and lifestyle interruptions you’ve endured. Importantly, this figure must be justifiable and supported by evidence, as insurance companies and opposing counsel will likely challenge it. 

Your lawyer may present a day-by-day recovery journal, therapist notes, or testimony from family and coworkers to show how daily life was impacted. The per diem method humanizes the experience by making it easier for a jury or claims adjuster to understand suffering in real-world terms. It essentially paints a picture of what each painful day looked like and why it deserves compensation.

3.  Factoring in Emotional and Psychological Impacts

While the physical pain from an injury can be relatively easier to demonstrate, emotional suffering often plays a massive role in how a person recovers after a car accident. Your lawyer takes this into account by examining signs of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, or other mental health struggles caused by the accident. These effects can be as debilitating as physical injuries, influencing your work, personal relationships, and general well-being. 

To strengthen your case, your attorney will seek evaluations from mental health professionals, counseling records, or even statements from close friends and relatives who observed changes in your behavior. Emotional pain may not come with X-rays or prescriptions, but it is very real, and your legal representation ensures it’s not overlooked. Additionally, any need for psychological counseling or long-term therapy will influence how pain and suffering are calculated. Unlike medical costs that stop once healing completes, emotional trauma may require extended or even indefinite care, a fact that plays a role in determining a fair settlement.

4.  How Severity and Duration Influence the Valuation

Two of the most critical elements in calculating pain and suffering are the severity of the injury and its duration. A sprained wrist that heals in six weeks will be treated very differently than a spinal injury that causes permanent nerve damage. Your lawyer evaluates medical documentation, surgical reports, physical therapy schedules, and the opinions of treating physicians to understand how serious your condition is. Injuries that require invasive procedures, long-term medication, or prevent you from working indefinitely receive significantly higher values. Duration matters just as much. 

Even if an injury is not life-altering, a prolonged recovery period filled with discomfort and restricted movement can exacerbate your suffering. The daily limitations—whether it's the inability to drive, sleep without pain, or hold your child—are all considerations. Your lawyer compiles this information not just to show that you were injured, but to demonstrate how that injury disrupted the fabric of your life. The more extensive and lasting the effects, the higher the value attributed to pain and suffering.

Pain and suffering are deeply personal and subjective, but your lawyer uses established methods and evidence-based strategies to give them weight in the legal process. Whether through the multiplier method, the per diem approach, or a careful analysis of the medical and emotional impact, every detail of your experience is taken into account to ensure that your suffering is acknowledged and fairly compensated. By building a clear, comprehensive, and compassionate case, your lawyer transforms invisible wounds into recognized damages.