After a serious accident, one of the most confusing parts of the process is hearing an insurance company put a dollar amount on your pain.
You know what you are dealing with. The physical pain. The stress. The missed work. The disruption to your life.
So how does an insurance company decide what all of that is worth
At Hasty Pope Injury Law, our Canton Georgia injury lawyers and Gainesville Georgia injury lawyers spend a lot of time explaining this because the answer surprises most people.
Insurance companies do not value pain the way injured people do.
Pain Is Real But Insurance Treats It Like a Number
Insurance companies separate damages into two buckets.
Economic damages include medical bills and lost wages. Those are easier to calculate because they come with receipts.
Pain and suffering is different. It includes physical pain emotional distress loss of enjoyment of life sleep problems anxiety and the daily limitations caused by an injury.
Because pain does not come with a receipt insurance companies look for ways to reduce it to a formula.
The First Thing They Look At Is Medical Records
Medical records are the foundation of how pain is valued.
Insurance companies review:
- How quickly you sought treatment
- How consistently you followed up
- What doctors wrote about your pain
- Whether symptoms improved or worsened
- Gaps in treatment
If records say pain is mild or improving insurers argue the impact is limited. If records are consistent and detailed the value increases.
This is why documentation matters so much.
Real Life Example
We represented a client in Gainesville Georgia who suffered a back injury in a car crash. He continued working through pain and delayed treatment because he did not want to miss work.
When he finally sought care the insurance company argued the pain must not have been serious.
The injury was real. The MRI confirmed it. But the delay gave the insurer leverage.
We had to explain to the jury why many people push through pain and how that does not make the injury less real.
Duration and Permanence Matter
Pain that lasts weeks is valued differently than pain that lasts years.
Insurance companies look closely at:
- Length of treatment
- Need for injections or surgery
- Permanent restrictions
- Ongoing pain management
Permanent injuries or long term limitations increase value because they affect the rest of a person’s life not just the recovery period.
How Daily Life Factors In
Insurance companies also look at how pain affects daily activities.
Can you still work
Can you lift your children
Can you sleep
Can you exercise
Can you enjoy hobbies
When pain interferes with normal life it carries more weight but only if it is clearly documented.
Why Early Statements Can Hurt Value
Many people minimize pain early on.
They say they are fine. They do not want to complain. They expect things to improve.
Insurance companies use those early statements to argue pain is exaggerated later.
We see this often in Canton Georgia cases where police reports or early medical notes say the person felt okay at first.
That single line can be used to reduce pain and suffering value unless it is addressed properly.
The Role of the Lawyer Matters More Than Most People Realize
Insurance companies do not just evaluate injuries. They evaluate risk.
They ask:
- Will this lawyer take the case to trial
- Can this lawyer explain pain to a jury
- Will treating doctors testify clearly
- Is the case being prepared seriously
A lawyer who understands medicine and has trial experience can dramatically change how pain is valued.
Another Real World Example
We handled a case where an insurance company claimed pain was subjective and unsupported.
We prepared the treating physician. We documented daily limitations. We explained how the injury changed the client’s work and home life.
Once the insurance company understood this would be explained to a jury the valuation changed.
The pain did not change.
The presentation did.
Why Pain Feels Undervalued to Injured People
Most injured people feel their pain is undervalued because insurance companies are not measuring pain the same way.
They are not asking how it feels to wake up hurting every day.
They are asking how defensible the number is in court.
That is a critical difference.
The Bottom Line
Insurance companies decide what your pain is worth based on documentation consistency duration impact on daily life and legal risk.
Pain is real but it must be proven.
At Hasty Pope, our job is to make sure pain is explained clearly supported medically and understood in human terms not reduced to a formula.
If you are injured and feel like the insurance company does not understand what you are going through there is usually a reason. And it can often be fixed with the right approach.