One of the central pieces of a case for an injured client is the reparations from the defendant for the client’s pain and suffering. Even though the defendant, or the defendant’s insurance company, compensates for medical bills and other economic damages, there’s always the component of the loss of enjoyment of a client’s life which stemmed from their injuries.
To determine the average amounts of pain and suffering given to a client in conjunction with the average amount of economic damages they received, we analyzed 665 cases which specified pain and suffering amounts and other economic damages amounts from 37 different case topics. These topics ranged from physical injuries such as a broken femur or amputated leg to psychological issues incurred by rape or racial discrimination. Through this analysis, we determined the average amount of economic damages awarded and the average amount of pain and suffering awarded for cases involving general shoulder injuries, rotator cuff injuries, and total shoulder replacements (TSRs).
In cases involving general shoulder injuries, we saw an average award for economic damages of $119,287.99 and an average compensatory award of $328,491.76 for pain and suffering. The average award for economic damages equated to approximately 36.31% of the average award for pain and suffering, and the award for pain and suffering was approximately 175.38% greater than that of economic damages (Fig.1).
Figure 1. This figure shows the percentage of economic damages awards in relation to pain and suffering compensation. The blue band at the bottom represents the 36.31% of the total amount of pain and suffering, which is in orange.
Rotator cuff injuries showed an average award for economic damages of $47,532.97 and an average award for pain and suffering of $83,145.54. We also saw that the average award for economic damages equated to approximately 57.17% of the award for pain and suffering (Fig. 2). Finally, the award for pain and suffering showed an approximate increase of 74.62% in conjunction to the award for economic damages.
Figure 2. This figure shows the percentage of economic damages awards in relation to pain and suffering compensation. The blue band at the bottom represents the 57.17% of the total amount of pain and suffering, which is in orange.
Lastly, in total shoulder replacement cases, we calculated an average of economic damages of $1,198,214.25 and an average award for pain and suffering of $237,516. The average amount of economic damages equated to approximately 504.47% of the average award for pain and suffering (Fig. 3). The average award for pain and suffering showed an approximate decrease of 80.18% from the average award for economic damages.
Figure 3. This figure shows the percentage of economic damages awards in relation to pain and suffering compensation. The blue band represents the 504.47% of the total amount of pain and suffering, which is in orange.
If you’re a potential client or an attorney seeking a second opinion and would like to discuss the value of your case, please feel free to call us anytime at (850)224-3310.
