Pain and Suffering

What is Pain and Suffering?

Pain and Suffering is a legal term that describes the physical, emotional, and mental injuries a personal injury victim sustained following an accident.

According to Black’s Law Dictionary, pain and suffering is defined as “physical discomfort, emotional trauma, or mental anguish that a plaintiff experiences as a result of a defendant’s actions.” As such, it often refers to the non-economic damages that a plaintiff may claim to compensate for the physical pain, emotional anguish, and diminished quality of life caused by the defendant’s actions or negligence.

Pain and suffering can include physical pain or emotional distress. For example: Amy is in a car accident because the other driver drove recklessly. As a result of the accident Amy might suffer from back problems and have a panic attack every time she tries to drive a car. Therefore, not only could Amy sue the other driver for the damage to her car, but also for the pain and suffering it has caused her physical and emotional health. Pain and suffering is aimed at providing compensation to injuried parties, and to have those at fault recognize the harm they caused and deter them from repeating their actions. Understanding pain and suffering is essential in personal injury litigation to ensure that plaintiffs receive fair and just compensation for the full scope of their injuries and losses.

More information about Pain and Suffering

Car Accident Round-Up — Two SC Students Killed in Head-On Wreck

Nissan Pathfinder hits car head-on attempting to pass on the highway; kills both passengers in tragic accident

Two Charleston Students Killed In Car Accident

Two Charleston students are dead after a car accident Dec. 29 night in Aiken county, SC. Officials say 22-year-old Katie Scott and 24-year-old Alexander Bush died from injuries in the crash, according to news reports. Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton says a Pathfinder driven by another South Carolina motorist hit the couple head-on as he tried to pass a car on Highway 302.

Two Massachusetts Drivers Killed in Head-On Accident

Two women were killed in a two-car accident Thursday night in Westport, MA, according to a news site. The Massachusetts State Police determined the driver of a Hyundai SUV drove the wrong way on Route 88 and struck a Toyota pickup head-on. Drivers of both vehicles were killed, […]

Car Accident Round-up — A Car Crashes At President Bush’s Texas Home

Bush family was home but not in danger

Car Crashes Onto Lawn At President Bush’s Home In Texas

A man who was visiting one of President Bush’s neighbors crashed into the front lawn of the president’s residence, reported abcNEWS/U.S. A Secret Service spokesman said the driver was questioned and released. The Bushes were home but never in danger.

Teenager Dies In Car Accident In California

A 19-year-old was the victim of a car accident this week in Sacramento County after she pulled her car into the path of a pickup truck, reported The Sacramento Bee. Tavernor Road has stop signs in both directions at Clay Station Road where the accident happened. At this time it was unclear if she stopped and then entered the intersection or if she slowed and rolled into the intersection.

Florida Restaurant Closes Temporarily Following Car Accident

Examiner.com reports the “Two Blondes and a Shrimp” restaurant in downtown Sanford was closed after a small blue sedan jumped onto the sidewalk and came to a stop when it ran into the restaurant after hitting several other buildings. […]

Top Trial Lawyers Share Their Winning Strategies

Attorneys Marion Munley and Matt Cartwright attended the American Association for Justice’s annual Weekend with the Stars in New York City December 9-11, where they joined with the nation’s preeminent trial lawyers, sharing winning strategies and techniques.

This year’s Weekend with the Stars “kicked-off” with a seminar devoted entirely to the DePuy Hip Implant Recall. This past August, DePuy Orthopedics, Inc. (A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) recalled the ASR Hip Resurfacing and the ASR XL Acetabular Systems, which came on the market in July 2003.

About 93,000 of the medical devices have been recalled due to increased rates of failure and elevated levels of cobalt and chromium, which leads to metallosis. It is estimated that one in 8 patients who received one of these DuPuy hip implants may need revision or a second hip replacement surgery.

Contact Our PA Car Accident Lawyers Today! […]

Preliminary Truck Crash Data For 2009 Released

Preliminary statistics on 2009 tractor trailer crashes have just been released. The Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts: Early Release is based on crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), as well as preliminary total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) data from the Federal Highway Administration.

Among the highlights:

Of the 286,000 police-reported crashes involving large trucks in 2009, 2,987 (1 percent) resulted in at least one fatality, and 51,000 (18 percent) resulted in at least one nonfatal injury.

Single-vehicle crashes made up 20 percent of all fatal crashes, 16 percent of all injury crashes, and 35 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks.

Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of all fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred on rural roads, and just over one-fourth (26 percent) occurred on rural and urban Interstate highways. […]

Car Accident Round-Up — Seven Injured In 3-Car Wreck In South Carolina

Car accidents around the country

WCSC TV in Charleston, South Carolina reports a 1995 Nissan with five passengers hit a 2006 Nissan which was waiting for another car to turn left, shortly before 6 p.m. in Moncks Corner on U.S. 17 near Old Gilliard Road Wednesday night. The 2006 Nissan then hit a Ford large passenger van which had stopped in front of it. Seven people, most of them teenagers, were taken to hospital, but none had life-threatening injuries.

“Coughing Fit” Causes Power Outage In Tallahassee

Fallschase shopping plaza suffered a power blackout this week when a driver lost control of his car and tore through some power lines, reports WCTV in Tallahassee. According to the report, the driver of the Lincoln Navigator, he had a coughing fit and ran off Buck Lake Road and flipped onto the service road for the shopping plaza. […]

Car Accident Round-Up — Car Crashes Into Mississippi Salon

No injuries sustained in salon car accident

Car Crashes Into Salon In Mississippi

Salon Lefleur in Jackson was surprised when a woman drove her car into the building early Thursday morning, reports clarionledger.com. There were no injuries, but the salon and a restaurant next door were damaged. The woman was driving toward the salon when her foot slipped off the brake and the front of her car crashed into the wall separating the salon and restaurant.

California Woman Killed In Early Morning Crash On I-880

An early morning crash in San Leandro has taken the life of a 40-year-old- Oakley woman reports the Oakland Tribune. The woman lost control of her 2010 Subaru in the early morning hours and veered into the center median, then the shoulder of the freeway – hitting barrels and finally coming to a stop perpendicular to traffic. […]

Car Accident Round-Up — All Is Not ‘OK’ When Text Messaging Before Car Wreck

Distracted driving including text messaging is a leading cause of car accidents

Homeless Man Dead After Thanksgiving Accident With Jackie Autry’s Car

The widow of former Angels owner Gene Autry says the Thanksgiving night event which left a homeless man dead was an accident, reports the Los Angeles Times. She was driving home from a Thanksgiving dinner and traveling about 25 mph when she hit a man who crossed the street with no lights and wearing black clothes. She called 911 but the man died about an hour later, the paper reported.

Forty Plus Car Accidents In Delaware County Due To Winter Weather

Wednesday’s brutal weather, which followed months of above average temperatures, brought over 40 car accident reports to police departments in Delaware County, reports the starpress.com. Injuries, roll-overs, and vehicular entrapments were reported, but no fatalities.

Two Car Fatal Accident Closes Route 29 in Easton, […]

New Jersey Man Receives $2 Million in Yamaha Snowmobile Accident

The Daily Record reports a Sparta man will receive $2 million from Yamaha following a snowmobile accident. The judge added $900,000 to the $1.1 million award from the jury.

In February of 2005, when the now 61-year-old man borrowed his friend’s 1995 Yamaha VX600V-R snowmobile, the engine started to hesitate. While he and another friend lifted the rear of the snowmobile, the owner revved the engine with the throttle in an effort to clear the spark plugs. The metal track broke and shot out of the rear of the snowmobile and ripped through the victim’s right leg.

Efforts to save the 75 percent severed leg were not successful, and the man’s leg was amputated above the knee a few days after the accident.

In the product liability trial, the jury awarded $1,107,000 for pain and suffering, economic losses, and medical expenses. The man’s attorney filed a motion for an “additur” with the judge which was granted and raised the award another $900,000. […]

Car Accident Round-Up

Car accidents around the United States

SUV Rollover Results in Fatality

A 20-year-old woman died in a single car crash on I-95 near Springfield, Virginia, after the car in which she was a passenger struck the jersey barrier throwing her from the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle, the woman’s mother, was injured but her injuries were not believed to be life threatening. Virginia state police believe the driver lost control of the SUV while traveling in the far right lane, then overturned across all four lanes of the road before the vehicle came to a stop against the jersey barrier.

Man Dies After Being Ejected from Car in Head-On Collision

The Cullman Times reports that a Cullman County man and his dog were killed when the car they were riding in collided with a dump truck. The impact from the head-on collision ejected the man from his vehicle. […]

$1.8 Million Award Against Hyundai Following Teen’s Death

A jury in San Angelo (Texas) federal court has reached a $1.8 million award against Hyundai Motor Company in favor of the plaintiff – the father of a 19-year-old girl killed in 2007, reports GoSanAngelo. The teenager was a passenger in a car driven by her sister when the car veered off the road and rolled over. Although she was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, she was thrown out through the back window of the car because her seat was too far reclined. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

In filing the lawsuit, the father of the dead girl hopes to call on the auto industry to correct the design which allows a car to be driven with the seat reclined. Experts testified a car seat reclined past 45 degrees is unsafe and the safest position for the passenger seat is in the upright position. […]

Parents File Lawsuit After Deadly School Bus Accident

The parents of a teenage boy have filed suit against Autumn Transportation following a crash that injured their son and caused emotional turmoil when his friend was killed in the crash, reports the Connecticut News. The parents are suing on behalf of their son according to Connecticut law since the boy is a minor.

The bus went off the highway after it collided with a Volvo station wagon. The suit alleges the bus company allowed a driver who did not have proper training and licensing to drive the school bus, and further claims the company does not adequately supervise or train its drivers. The bus driver’s license has since been suspended by the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Also named in the suit are the bus driver and the teen driver of the Volvo for failing to take necessary precautions to avoid an accident. […]

$4.4 Million Awarded to Family In Automobile Wrongful Death Case

Department of transportation and subcontractor negligent for car accident

A Utah 4th District Court jury has awarded the family of a man killed in a traffic accident in 2006 almost $4.4 million, reports The Salt Lake Tribune.

Due to state law caps on damages against the state and the victim’s share of the responsibility, the award will be reduced by almost $2 million.

The family of the Payson man sued the state Department of Transportation and a subcontractor for failing to post appropriate signs warning of traffic delays as they were working on the reconstruction of a bridge. The man was killed as he came over the crest of a hill and tried to swerve to miss the driver ahead of him who slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting cars stopped because of the bridge project. He crashed his vehicle and died 13 days later. […]

$3.5 Million Awarded In Wrongful Death Logging Truck Accident

Speeding truck with faulty brakes causes fatal trucking crash

A Chilton County, Alabama jury has awarded $3.5 million to the family of a man killed when the van he was driving was crushed between two logging trucks, reports the Montgomery Advertiser.

Ken Gorum Trucking and Gary Fruge, the driver of the logging truck, were held responsible for the accident and have been ordered to pay the award. The jury found Fruge was speeding, and the truck had defective brakes, when it crashed into the victim’s van.

The victim’s car was pushed into the logs on the truck in front of him, causing the logs to come through his windshield – one went through his head and killed him. Although the driver claims he was going only 45 miles per hour, evidence suggests he was traveling between 65 and 75 mph.

Progressive Insurance Co, […]

$16 Million Settlement in Texas Tractor-Trailer Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Poorly secured equipment crushes woman’s car in tractor trailer accident

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports a $16 million settlement has been reached in the wrongful death lawsuit between the family of a 41-year-old woman and Pioneer Drilling. The woman died in September as a result heavy equipment flying off an 18-wheeler into her car. The equipment was being hauled to a gas-drilling site.

A 24,000-pound counterweight and a 4,000-pound spreader bar fell off the tractor trailer, and the spreader crushed the woman’s car.

Investigators found the equipment was secured by only two chains instead of the four that are required and the driver did not control his speed. Also, the truck driver was a truck driver’s helper and did not meet state and federal safety guidelines to drive an 18-wheeler by alone. In his testimony, the truck driver admitted that he and other Pioneer employees back-dated documents showing that he was qualified to drive a week before the crash. […]