How to Calculate Pain and Suffering in Illinois

If you’ve been injured because of someone else’s negligence, you might wonder if you will be compensated for things beyond medical bills, like pain and suffering. In Illinois, a personal injury lawyer, insurance company, or jury will consider many factors in the calculation of pain and suffering damages, including the severity of injuries, impact on daily life, emotional distress, length of recovery, and degree of fault. Here’s some guidance on how to calculate pain and suffering in Illinois from our team of experienced injury attorneys.

What Is Pain and Suffering?

Pain and suffering refers to the physical discomfort, emotional distress, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life experienced by an injured person caused by another party’s negligence or intentional actions.

This is a type of non-economic damage, meaning a dollar value can’t be measured with bills or receipts like medical expenses or lost wages can.

What Factors Determine Pain and Suffering Compensation?

When determining the amount of compensation for a pain and suffering settlement in Illinois, the court will consider the following factors:

1. More severe injuries typically result in higher compensation, with permanent disabilities or long-term conditions receiving more than less serious injuries like broken bones.
2. The court assesses how the injury affects the victim’s daily life, including work, activities, and relationships.
3. Injuries can cause both physical pain and emotional distress, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD.
4. Longer recovery times and extensive therapy for physical injuries often result in higher compensation for pain and suffering due to prolonged discomfort.
5. Illinois follows a comparative fault system where a victim’s compensation can be reduced if they are partly responsible for their injury. For example, if a victim is 20% at fault, their damages decrease by 20%.

What Is the Multiplier Method to Value Pain and Suffering Damages?

The multiplier method is a pain and suffering calculation that assigns a fair amount of compensation for both physical impairment and emotional pain in a personal injury case.

Compensation for pain and suffering is different from compensation for medical bills. However, the cost of your medical bills is often used to calculate a multiplier, typically between 1 and 5, which helps determine the amount awarded for pain and mental suffering.

The more serious the injuries, the higher the multiplier assigned, and the higher the award for the pain and suffering.

An Example Pain and Suffering Calculation with the Multiplier Method

In a car accident case, the jury first evaluates the injured motorist’s medical expenses. They then apply a multiplier to calculate pain and suffering damages. For example, if medical expenses are $10,000 and the multiplier is two, the jury would award $20,000 for pain and suffering.

How Do Juries Decide What Multiplier to Use for the Multiplier Method?

A jury can adjust the multiplier used to calculate damages to recover compensation for pain and suffering based on the severity of your injuries. More significant injuries increase the likelihood of a higher multiplier.

If physical pain affects your ability to work or enjoy life, the multiplier may be higher. This also applies to the long-term emotional trauma from your injuries.

What Factors Are Used to Value Pain and Suffering Damages?

Some factors to determine the appropriate multiplier in a personal injury claim are:

• Seriousness of the injuries, supported by medical records
• Impact of injuries on day-to-day life activities
• Impact of bodily injury on your ability to work and the amount of wages you have lost
• Permanent disabilities or disfigurement
• Age and health
• Emotional distress and mental anguish
• Loss of consortium (companionship)

What Is the Per Diem Method?

Per diem is Latin and translates to “per day.”

This method assigns a specific dollar amount for each day the victim is impacted. However, justifying this daily rate and proving pain and suffering can be challenging, as an insurance adjuster or their attorneys may challenge the claim.

This is why it is important to have an experienced attorney advocating on your side when seeking compensation in pain and suffering claims.

What Are the Limitations on Pain and Suffering Damages?

Certain states impose strict limits on the amount of compensation for pain and suffering that can be obtained in a personal injury settlement. These limits may be applicable solely to serious injury or medical malpractice cases in some states, while others extend them to all types of personal injury lawsuits.

No Limit in Illinois

Fortunately, under Illinois personal injury law, there is no limit to the amount of compensation available in a pain and suffering claim.

In personal injury cases, the jury is responsible for deciding how much compensation you should receive for pain and suffering. This means you could be awarded a significant amount to cover not just medical bills but also other out-of-pocket expenses.

What Is My Pain and Suffering Worth?

Pain and suffering damages, calculated by a personal injury lawyer, consider both physical pain and emotional distress from your injuries. To learn what these damages might be worth, discuss your case with a lawyer.

A pain and suffering calculator can’t give you the detailed analysis you’d get from speaking with a pain and suffering lawyer about your injuries and how they’ve affected your life. Contact The Kryder Law Group, LLC Accident and Injury Lawyers, today for a free consultation.