What is a reasonable compensation for pain and suffering in a car accident? My husband was involved in a car wreck over a month ago. The other driver was at fault and his insurance has accepted 100% liability. Unfortunately the other driver died in the crash. My husband was treated and released at the nearest ER with a fractured left hand, bruises to his chest and ribs and several lacerations. He still has flashbacks and nightmares seeing the other driver crash into him head-on and then slumped lifeless over the steering wheel. He slept almost 5 weeks in a chair because of the bruised ribs. He has 2 more weeks to wear a cast on his left hand which hinders him greatly due to being left handed. He now gets very tense when meeting other drivers on the road. This has been very emotionally and physically painful. In addition to the property loss (about $3200), lost wages (about $1000) and medical bills ($5000), how much is reasonable for pain and suffering? I know there's no exact formula but I would like a ball park idea of what is fair and reasonable. I am not wanting to get the most I can from it, just want to know what's reasonable when the injuries are minor but the side effects have been large.

A: There is no way to answer this question in simple terms. I know what you want and there isn't any way to put a set dollar amount on such a claim. It takes a better understanding of the facts and your husband's condition. Perhaps he needs psychological counseling for post traumatic stress disorder. (PTSD) This isn't so easy as saying it's worth $X. Stop trying to play lawyer and go hire one who can really assess the case based on experience. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years and know enough to know better than to pick a number out of thin air.

For good advice see a lawyer and if you have questions about this blog, the law or your case write or call me directly. Steve Lombardi, sdlombardi@aol.com and 515-222-1110. I handle all types of personal injury cases including car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, workers' compensation cases. We help truckers all across the country who come through Iowa and end up in an accident. If we need other lawyers from other states we hire them and it costs you no more than what you would pay us; in other words, we split the fee between us. So call 515-222-1110 or email us at sdlombardi@aol.com.
Steve Lombardi, Attorney