Is there a formula for calculating pain & suffering for injuries sufferred in a car accident?

Question

I was recently in an auto accident that was not my fault. I sufferred scratches to both of my corneas, a black eye, a lot of bruising to my upper torso and face, and "burns" from the airbag on my face. The pain to my eyes was unbearable and my vision was blurred for about 4 days...and of course the usual neck & back pain. I need to know what is a reasonable settlement amount the insurance company should compensate me. I'm not trying to fund my retirement, but I want what is fair. Help!!!

Answer 1

there are standards that are applied by claims departments for these type injuries. they differ by state and are not normally published other than by the insurance companies as proprietary information. they should take each of those injuries in consideration when handling the bodily injury. insurance companies, regardless of what plaintiff attorneys say are fair (?). let them make an offer and study it carefully.

Answer 2

There's no formula, but you can look at verdict ranges in your community. A few large insurers use a computer based system that computes the offer amount based on the amount of medical care you recieved, where you live, severity of the accident and a few other factors.

That said, you can probably count on getting your medical bills paid plus 50-100% more for yourself. Some jurisdictions will be higher, some lower.

Answer 3

Based upon those injuries, I wouldn't be looking to hit the jackpot. You get large settlements when you have been disabled (i.e. can't work), dismembered (i.e. missing limbs), disfigured (horrific scarring for example) or decreased quality of life (i.e. can't do the same things you used to do). Sounds like your blurred vision resolved, burns won't scar your face, black eye and bruising goes away... you might get a few thousand dollars on top of your out of pocket medical expenses.