Can I Get Money for Pain and Suffering After a Construction Accident?

If you were harmed in a construction accident, there are various types of compensation to which you may be entitled. Applicable laws may allow you to recover for pain and suffering or emotional damages incurred due to a negligent or intentional act. While recognition that emotional distress serving as the basis for compensation can be traced to the early 1900s, it is recognized that if one individual wrongly causes emotional damages to another person, the victim still has the potential to recover compensation. To obtain this type of compensation, however, individuals frequently require the assistance of a skilled attorney.

Examples of Construction Events that Can Cause Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering is frequently awarded when a person experiences serious physical injuries that cause emotional or physical pain after the event. Some of the common types of construction accidents that can result in pain and suffering include:

• Crane accidents
• Equipment accidents
• Falling objects
• Forklift accidents
• Ladder falls
• Scaffold accidents

These types of accidents and many others can result in various types of injuries and suffering including emotional suffering, grief over the death of a loved one, long lasting chronic pain, or nerve damage from a surgical procedure. 

Factors that Can Influence Your Recovery

The amount of compensation that is a person is awarded for pain and suffering depends on a variety of unique circumstances. Some of the factors that a court of law will likely consider when deciding how much to charge include:

• Your Age. Younger individuals are likely to be compensated a greater amount than older individuals because courts rationalize that young individuals will likely have to deal with physical pain and suffering for a longer period of time.
• The Seriousness or Permanency of your Injuries. Injuries that cause physical pain are more likely to result in larger compensation amounts than less serious injuries because courts believe that more serious injuries will have a greater impact on a person’s life.
• Your Disability. Courts and juries may evaluate how the accident has impacted that person’s past, present, and future.
• Economic Harms. In addition to pain and suffering, if an individual has lost income, substantial medical bills or some other economic harm as a result of the accident a jury may compensate him for those losses.

Advice in Receiving the Compensation for Pain and Suffering

There are some pieces of advice that can help individuals in making pain and suffering claims, which include the following:

• Be specific about the injuries you experience as the result of the accident.
• Document your physical conditions before and after the accident.
• Maintain a file including all documents about the case including law enforcement reports and medical bills.

Contact a Skilled Accident Attorney

Because pain and suffering often cannot be objectively quantified, it can be harder to receive adequate compensation for these injuries. A seasoned accident lawyer, however, can help you recover compensation that you deserve for emotional damages. For additional information about how to obtain compensation after a construction accident, contact the Ferrara & Gable today.