If you've had the misfortune to be injured by another driver's carelessness, you are due monetary payment for the many problems that the accident caused. Most people just automatically consider these damages to encompass things like your wrecked car and medical expenses, but there is another area of compensation that could prove to be the most valuable: pain and suffering. Read on to learn more about how your pain and suffering is evaluated and how to ensure you get compensated for this major accident issue.

What is pain and suffering? This term is really a catch-all that is meant to cover the overall, general misery created by the accident. When you consider the annoyance of having no transportation, the time you missed playing with your child, the lost career opportunities and living in pain for days on end, you have an idea of what this form of personal injury compensation is supposed to cover.

How is pain and suffering compensated? When you think about other forms of personal injury compensation, you may be talking about exact dollars and cents equating to your medical bills, your wrecked car, your lost wages, etc. You can put a price on those things and be reimbursed for them, and you can also put a price on pain and suffering. The insurance companies do it every day, and your auto accident lawyer will also do it for you. It's important for you and your attorney to have a broad idea of what you are entitled to so that when a settlement is offered, you can evaluate the adequacy of that offer.

Turning pain and suffering into compensation: Since it's difficult to put a price on actual peace of mind and comfort, several methods of calculation have been created. Different insurance companies use different methods, but in most cases it works something like the following.

It all starts with your medical expenses, so make sure that you keep up with these bills and receipts even if you are not having to pay them yourself. The total dollar amounts of your medical expenses, both past and future, are added together and multiplied by a certain factor. The more severe your injury and the higher your medical expenses, the greater the factor. The resulting figure is then added to the other expenses, such as lost wages and the vehicle, to form a potential figure for a settlement.

Other factors to consider: Before a final settlement amount is determined, other factors must be considered, such as:

1. Whether or not fault is shared among all parties

2. The amount of other similar settlements in your locality

3. Your age, education, and employment history.

Speak to a personal injury attorney to get more ideas as to what your accident could be worth.