Legal Question in Personal Injury in New Hampshire
what is pain and suffering worth
i fell down the stairs of my apartment building in january. i injured my tailbone which was incredibly painful, and still bothers me. i am told that it will slowly get better, but may take years. it is livable at this point as long as i dont sit for too long. certain chairs i cant sit in at all. i want to know if there is a way of figuring the dollar value for this pain. what should i ask for in the way of a settlement. it has now been over 5 months. by the way...neither exit was cleared of the more than a foot of drifting snow..this was after noon. the ambulance crew had to make me walk through the snow to get into the ambulance out in the street because they couldnt get near the building. tell me what to ask for in the way of compensation.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: what is pain and suffering worth
If your landlord was negligent or had notice of a defective and dangerous condition (stairs), you may be entitled to reimbursement for your medical bills and lost wages.
As for pain and suffering, that is a subjective number based on a host of medical and personal factor that can only be evaluated after detailed analysis of your medical records and personal history.
It is my strong opinion that you should have a lawyer; representing yourself with an insurance company is foolish and exactly what the insurance company wants you to do.
Re: what is pain and suffering worth
This is a tough question. This problem requires a system where a group of people sit down and hear all about your situation, deliberate and give you an answer. Obviously I am talking about a jury. In negotiating with an insurance company you are doing no more than guessing what a jury might decide if it were presented with your case. So to make that guess, you have to know pretty much everything about your life and how it has changed, and have experince to know what actual juries have actually done with similar circumstances. There is no formula or rule book with the right answer.
In short, you need to be advised by an experinced trial lawyer.
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