After a car accident in Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley, your medical bills and lost wages are only part of what you may be entitled to recover. California law also allows injured victims to seek compensation for pain and suffering — a category of damages that is often the largest component of a personal injury settlement but is also the most misunderstood.

At Girgis Law Firm, APC, attorney Anthony Girgis has helped accident victims throughout Encino, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Northridge, and the greater Los Angeles area recover full compensation including pain and suffering damages. Here is what you need to know.

What Does Pain and Suffering Cover?

In California personal injury law pain and suffering is a category of non-economic damages that covers the physical and emotional impact of your injuries beyond the direct financial costs. It includes:

  • Physical pain from your injuries and medical treatment
  • Emotional distress including anxiety, depression, and PTSD
  • Loss of enjoyment of life — the inability to participate in activities you enjoyed before the accident
  • Loss of consortium — the impact on your relationship with your spouse or family
  • Permanent disfigurement or disability
  • Mental anguish

How Is Pain and Suffering Calculated in California?

Unlike medical bills or lost wages which have specific dollar amounts attached to them, pain and suffering damages require a more subjective calculation. California courts and insurance companies typically use one of two methods:

The multiplier method takes your total economic damages — medical bills and lost wages — and multiplies them by a factor between 1.5 and 5 depending on the severity of your injuries. A minor soft tissue injury might use a multiplier of 1.5 while a serious spinal injury requiring surgery might use a multiplier of 4 or 5.

The per diem method assigns a daily dollar value to your pain and suffering and multiplies it by the number of days you experienced pain and limitations as a result of your injuries.

In practice most personal injury settlements in Los Angeles use the multiplier method and the choice of multiplier is one of the most heavily negotiated aspects of any settlement.

What Factors Affect Your Pain and Suffering Award?

Several factors influence how much you can recover for pain and suffering in a California personal injury case including the severity and permanence of your injuries, the impact on your daily life and ability to work, the consistency of your medical treatment, the credibility of your medical providers, and the skill of your attorney in presenting your damages.

This is why consistent medical treatment is so critical — gaps in your medical records give insurance adjusters ammunition to minimize your pain and suffering award.

How Girgis Law Firm Can Help

Attorney Anthony Girgis has extensive experience documenting and presenting pain and suffering damages to insurance companies and in litigation. He works with trusted medical providers throughout the San Fernando Valley who understand how to properly document the impact of injuries on their patients’ daily lives — documentation that is essential for maximizing your pain and suffering award.

Injured in a car accident in the San Fernando Valley? Contact Girgis Law Firm, APC for a free consultation. Attorney Anthony Girgis represents accident victims throughout Encino, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Northridge, Woodland Hills, and surrounding communities. Call (818) 986-5000 — no fees unless we win.