Pursuing Pain and Suffering Damages in Drunk Driving Cases

Pain and suffering damages are recoverable after a drunk driving accident. Our drunk driving accident attorneys have over 20 years of experience and can help you through the legal process to recover pain and suffering damages.

At Zanes Law, our Phoenix drunk driving accident lawyers can help you pursue pain and suffering damages in your drunk driving case. Read on to learn how our team can help you recover compensation for your losses.

What do Pain and Suffering Damages Cover?

If you’ve been injured in a drunk driving crash, pain and suffering damages aim to fairly compensate you for non-economic losses affecting your quality of life and well-being. 

Even after medical bills are paid, injuries from an intoxicated driver’s negligence can still impact you profoundly in important ways that warrant reimbursement. Some specific categories that pain and suffering damages are intended to cover for victims of drunk driving accidents include:

• Physical pain: Both the initial acute pain at the scene and any ongoing soreness or discomfort as your body heals over time.
• Emotional trauma: Dealing with trauma from the crash along with possible PTSD, anxiety, depression, and issues with self-esteem.
• Inability to enjoy activities: Being unable to participate in hobbies, sports, family time, and social interactions due to accident-caused limitations.
• Disfigurement and permanent disability: Facing self-conscious challenges from scars or loss of mobility or abilities long-term.
• Time spent recovering: Extensive medical treatments, surgeries, therapies, doctor visits, and prolonged recovery disrupt normal life.
• Lifelong effects: Impacts that persist indefinitely, like chronic pain, memory and concentration issues, or permanent impairment.

The goal is fair compensation for all non-monetary hardships faced as a result of another’s reckless actions behind the wheel after the consumption of alcohol.

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How Are Pain and Suffering Damages Calculated in a Drunk Driving Case?

If you were injured due to the negligent actions of an intoxicated driver, our Phoenix drunk driving accident attorneys can help with pursuing pain and suffering damage to compensate you for the physical and psychological hardships resulting from the accident. Our team can help guide you through the aftermath of what happens when you get into an accident with a drunk driver.

While there is no set formula, several factors will influence how we calculate your non-economic damages if we represent you. We will closely evaluate the severity and permanence of your injuries. More serious injuries that cause lifelong disabilities or disfigurement tend to increase the potential valuation.

How Medical Treatment Affects Your Pain and Suffering Damages

We will also consider your ongoing medical treatment requirements. If you’ve needed multiple surgeries, a long road of physical therapy, or will require medication indefinitely, these aspects often raise the damages amount. 

Similarly, we understand the immense pain you’ve faced both at the time of the collision and throughout recovery. Higher awards are common when victims experience excruciating suffering.

Beyond physical trauma, emotional distress from the incident matters greatly, too. If you are experiencing PTSD, depression, anxiety, or other issues due to the at-fault driver’s negligence, these complications warrant accounting for in the assessment as well. Further, we appreciate how losing the enjoyment of previous pastimes can deteriorate the quality of life.

What’s the Statute of Limitations for Filing a Claim?

According to A.R.S. § 12-542, you have two years from the drunk driving accident date to file a drunk driving accident claim. Our team of drunk driving accident lawyers in Phoenix can help you build a strong claim and file on time. 

At Zanes Law, our legal team recommends that you file your claim as soon as possible. By doing so, you and your attorney can have more time to gather information and evidence for your claim.

If you fail to file on time, you won’t be eligible for any compensation. This means that you’ll have to pay for your losses with your own money.

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How We Help You Pursue Pain and Suffering Damages in a Drunk Driving Case

Being involved in a serious car accident caused by a drunk driver is devastating both physically and emotionally. If you sustained injuries, a skilled drunk driving accident attorney can fight to ensure you receive maximum compensation for your pain and suffering through the legal process.

A lawyer can:

• Thoroughly document the full extent of your injuries, treatments, lost wages, and impairment to build a strong case.
• Obtain experts like accident reconstructionists and medical professionals to support the claim.
• Properly value your non-economic damages like physical/emotional trauma based on precedent.
• Aggressively negotiate with at-fault parties’ insurance to obtain a full and fair settlement.
• Be well-versed in drunk driving laws and know how to prove liability and causation if the case goes to trial.
• Handle complexities like liability limits, contributory negligence assessments, and insurance coverage issues.
• Advocate for you against well-funded insurance defense teams aiming to minimize payouts.

With an experienced advocate on your side, you can focus on healing while we work diligently to achieve maximum compensation through the legal process for all you’ve endured.

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What Other Damages Can You Recover in a Drunk Driving Accident Case?

If you were injured due to the negligence of an intoxicated driver, in addition to pain and suffering damages, there are other types of financial compensation you may be entitled to recover, such as:

• Medical expenses: All past and future costs for doctor visits, surgeries, prescriptions, physical therapy, rehabilitation and other treatments.
• Lost wages: If unable to work due to injuries, lost income from missed pay during recovery can be recouped.
• Property damage: The at-fault party is responsible for repair or replacement costs to your vehicle if it was damaged in the crash.
• Loss of future earning capacity: You may receive compensation for the impact of permanent disabilities on your long-term career potential.
• Wrongful death: If a loved one passes away, beneficiaries can seek financial support for losses under wrongful death law.
• Punitive damages: In egregious drunk driving cases, these additional damages may punish and discourage reckless conduct.

With an attorney experienced in personal injury and drunk driving cases, you can work to obtain all forms of economic relief to cover your accident-related expenses and losses fully.

Learn More About Pursuing Pain and Suffering Damages After a Drunk Driving Accident

At Zanes Law, our team of Phoenix drunk driving accident lawyers can help you pursue pain and suffering damages in your drunk driving case. We’re ready to help you get the compensation you need after a negligent drunk driver injures you. 

Contact us today to learn more about pursuing damages for pain and suffering from drunk driving accident cases.

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