Some people refer to noneconomic damages as “pain and suffering” damages and damages for “emotional distress.”  That’s not really correct.  Noneconomic damages compensate those harmed for many things that are not easily measured in terms of money, including physical injuries such as the loss of a limb, scars and disfigurement, and blindness, as well as nonphysical injuries such as fright and shock, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of society and companionship of a loved one.

Many trial lawyers believe that referring to noneconomic-damage verdicts simply as compensation for “pain and suffering” or “emotional injury” trivializes the real harms noneconomic damage verdicts are meant to compensate.

These real injuries are often as important or more important to the injured person as the losses that can be directly converted into dollars.  Also known as quality-of-life damages, “pain and suffering” compensation covers the most severely injured patients, such as people who are paralyzed and can’t use the bathroom without assistance, or a brain-damaged child who will never attend school, get married, or work.

If you have a personal injury claim, contact Scott Mullins, a Cincinnati personal injury attorney today for a free consultation.