Pain and suffering settlement examples from real court records
Real pain and suffering awards in the court opinions below range from $0 to $24,500 for past pain, and one Arizona verdict totaled $400,000. Personal injury settlement amounts examples are rare because settlement terms are usually private. No official source gives typical car accident settlement amounts with injury.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (29)
What do real pain and suffering settlement examples look like?
These are jury awards from published court opinions. They are not settlements. A federal report said the terms of settlements would typically not be made part of the public record, so verdicts are the closest public record we can check.
| Case and date | What happened | What the jury awarded | What to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haygood v. De Escabedo, Texas Supreme Court, 2011 | A parking lot crash. Surgeries on the neck and shoulder. | $24,500 for past pain and mental anguish and $3,000 for future pain. $110,069.12 for past medical bills and $7,000 for future medical. | The bills were adjusted by credits of $82,329.69, leaving $27,739.43. |
| Lopez v. Safeway Stores, Arizona Court of Appeals, 2006 | She slipped and fell entering a store and had various injuries. | $400,000 in total. The jury found her 10 percent at fault, so the judgment was net $360,000. | Bills were almost $59,700, and providers accepted $16,837. The opinion gives one total, not a pain figure. |
| Thompson v. Davis, Texas Court of Appeals (Austin), 2020 | A car collision. | $5,000 for past medical expenses and $0 for pain, mental anguish and impairment. | The judgment was $16,901.49 with interest and costs. |
| Anantasomboon v. Waggoner, Texas Court of Appeals (Dallas), 2024 | A rear-end crash and neck, back and shoulder complaints. | $0 on every line, though the only damages evidence showed over $30,000 in medical expenses. | The court affirmed. Soft tissue injuries are generally subjective, it wrote. |
The spread is the lesson. Two Texas juries looking at car and parking lot crashes gave $0 in one case and $24,500 in another. The facts, the proof and the jurors all differed.
Can a jury award zero for pain and suffering?
Yes. In the Dallas case, a Texas appeals court said that where the evidence of pain is conflicting, scant or more subjective than objective, a jury may choose to award zero damages. The plaintiff in that case tried physical therapy, which he said did not help, and then got a neck injection.
Three facts in that opinion are worth knowing before you talk to an insurer:
- None of his doctors testified at trial.
- The medical records conflicted on whether the accident caused his condition.
- There was evidence the condition was preexisting or came from something else.
This does not mean a soft tissue injury is worth nothing. It means the proof has to carry the claim. Ask your doctor to write down what you have, what caused it and what care you still need.
What are typical car accident settlement amounts with an injury?
No official source gives one. A federal study said details of tort settlements are unknown. The nearest government data is about trials. In 2005 state court tort trials, the overall median final award was $24,000 in jury trials. In car accident cases with a winning plaintiff, the median award was $15,000. Plaintiffs won about half of tort trials.
Do not read $15,000 as a typical settlement. The data is from 2005. It counts only cases that went to trial. It leaves out every case that settled, and it says nothing about your injury, your bills or your fault.
How is pain and suffering decided if there is no formula?
| Question | What official instructions say |
|---|---|
| Is there a formula? | Utah's instruction says there is no fixed rule, standard or formula. Massachusetts says the law gives jurors no special formula. |
| What counts as physical pain? | Arizona lists pain, discomfort, suffering, disability, disfigurement and anxiety, already experienced and reasonably probable in the future. |
| What counts as mental pain? | Massachusetts says it includes nervous shock, anxiety, embarrassment or mental anguish. |
| What is the goal? | Arizona asks for the full amount that will reasonably and fairly compensate the person. |
So the number comes from evidence and from people. Records, a doctor's opinion, photos and a plain account of what changed in your days all matter more than any multiplier.
What would a pain and suffering example look like with real math?
EXAMPLE ONLY. Marcus is made up, and so are these numbers. They do not predict any case. He hurt his neck in a crash. His records show $9,000 in paid medical bills, $2,000 in expected future care and $3,500 in lost pay. The one open line is pain and mental anguish. Three different juries might put three different numbers there.
| Made-up example | Juror view A | Juror view B | Juror view C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past medical (paid) | $9,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 |
| Future medical | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Lost pay | $3,500 | $3,500 | $3,500 |
| Pain and mental anguish | $4,000 | $12,000 | $0 |
| Total damages | $18,500 | $26,500 | $14,500 |
| If Marcus is 20 percent at fault | $14,800 | $21,200 | $11,600 |
The last row follows the fault rules in both states. In Texas, the medical lines would be limited to what was actually paid or incurred. The pain line is the one nobody can compute ahead of time.
How do Arizona and Texas courts treat pain and suffering?
| Issue | Arizona | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| What jurors weigh | Pain, disability, disfigurement and anxiety, past and future. | In Haygood the jury found separate amounts for past and future pain and mental anguish. |
| Limits on the amount | The state constitution says the amount recovered is not subject to statutory limitation. | Caps apply in some case types, such as medical care claims. Ask a lawyer whether one applies to you. |
| Shared fault | Damages are reduced by your share. | Damages are reduced by your percentage. |
| Cases in this guide | Lopez, a store slip and fall, 2006. | Haygood, Thompson and Anantasomboon. |
A zero from a jury is possible in both states. It is a rule about proof, not about the state.
What can I do to show my pain and suffering?
- See a doctor soon after the crash. Tell them about every symptom, even the small ones.
- Ask your doctor to write down what caused each problem and what care you may still need.
- Keep going to treatment, and tell the provider if it is not helping.
- Write a short note each week about your pain, your sleep and what you could not do.
- Anxiety and fear after the crash count, so tell your doctor about them too.
- Keep photos of visible injuries and ask people who see you daily to write what they have noticed.
- Do not post about your recovery online. Insurers can read public posts.
InjuryBasics is not a law firm and cannot value your claim. Many injury lawyers review cases for free. Ask them what a case like yours turned out to be worth, and how they know.
Questions
Is there a formula for pain and suffering?
Official instructions say no. Utah's says there is no fixed rule, standard or formula, and Massachusetts says the law gives jurors no special formula.
Can pain and suffering be zero?
Yes. A Texas jury awarded $0 for pain after a car collision, and a Dallas appeals court said a jury may award zero when evidence of pain is conflicting, scant or more subjective than objective.
Are law firm settlement examples reliable?
They are a firm's own results and cannot be checked. Settlement terms are typically not part of the public record.
Does anxiety count as pain and suffering?
Massachusetts says mental pain and suffering includes anxiety and mental anguish, and Arizona lists anxiety among the elements jurors consider.
What is the average pain and suffering award?
We know of no official average. The closest data is from 2005 trials, where the median car accident award for winning plaintiffs was $15,000. That data covers all damages, not only pain.
Find out if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (29)
- Thompson v. Davis (Tex. App.-Austin 2020), checked 2026-11-09. “awarded Thompson $5000 in past medical expenses and zero in future medical expenses, in past and future physical pain and mental anguish, and in past and future physical impairment.”
- Haygood v. De Escabedo (Tex. 2011), checked 2026-11-09. “Haygood’s damages were $110,069.12 for past medical expenses, $7,000 for future medical expenses, $24,500 for past pain and mental anguish, and $3,000 for future pain and mental anguish.”
- Lopez v. Safeway Stores, Inc. (Ariz. Ct. App. 2006), checked 2026-11-09. “awarded damages of $400,000, but found her ten percent at fault and Safeway ninety percent at fault.”
- Bureau of Justice Statistics, Tort Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005, checked 2026-11-09. “would typically not be made part of the public record for tort cases that settle.”
- Bureau of Justice Statistics, Tort Cases in Large Counties, checked 2026-11-09. “Therefore, details of tort settlements are unknown.”
- Haygood v. De Escabedo (Tex. 2011), checked 2026-11-09. “Haygood’s injuries required surgeries on his neck and shoulder.”
- Anantasomboon v. Waggoner (Tex. App.-Dallas 2024), checked 2026-11-09. “where the evidence of pain is conflicting, scant, or more subjective than objective a jury may choose to award zero damages.”
- Bureau of Justice Statistics, Tort Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005, checked 2026-11-09. “Automobile accident cases alone constituted about 70% of tort trials with plaintiff winners, and the median award in these cases was $15,000.”
- Utah Model Jury Instructions, checked 2026-11-09. “Pain, suffering, disfigurement and other such general damages are not capable of being exactly and accurately determined and there is no fixed rule, standard or formula in determining these general damages.”
- Massachusetts Superior Court Model Jury Instructions, checked 2026-11-09. “The law gives you no special formula to assess PLF’s damages.”
- Haygood v. De Escabedo (Tex. 2011), checked 2026-11-09. “Haygood’s health care providers adjusted their bills with credits of $82,329.69, leaving a total of $27,739.43.”
- Lopez v. Safeway Stores, Inc. (Ariz. Ct. App. 2006), checked 2026-11-09. “Lopez slipped and fell while entering a Safeway store and sustained various injuries.”
- Lopez v. Safeway Stores, Inc. (Ariz. Ct. App. 2006), checked 2026-11-09. “totaled almost $59,700, even though the providers accepted only $16,837”
- Thompson v. Davis (Tex. App.-Austin 2020), checked 2026-11-09. “The district court rendered judgment for Thompson for $16,901.49, which included the jury’s award of past medical expenses, prejudgment interest, and costs.”
- Anantasomboon v. Waggoner (Tex. App.-Dallas 2024), checked 2026-11-09. “because the only evidence presented regarding damages showed that he incurred over $30,000 in medical expenses.”
- Anantasomboon v. Waggoner (Tex. App.-Dallas 2024), checked 2026-11-09. “Whereas, generally, soft tissue injuries are subjective.”
- Anantasomboon v. Waggoner (Tex. App.-Dallas 2024), checked 2026-11-09. “He tried physical therapy, but it did not help and was actually hurting him.”
- Anantasomboon v. Waggoner (Tex. App.-Dallas 2024), checked 2026-11-09. “None of appellant’s doctors testified at trial.”
- Anantasomboon v. Waggoner (Tex. App.-Dallas 2024), checked 2026-11-09. “medical records conflicted as to whether his condition was caused by the accident.”
- Anantasomboon v. Waggoner (Tex. App.-Dallas 2024), checked 2026-11-09. “There was also evidence suggesting that appellant’s condition, at least to a certain extent, was preexisting or caused by something other than the accident in question.”
- Bureau of Justice Statistics, Tort Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005, checked 2026-11-09. “The overall median final award of $24,000 in jury trials and $21,000 in bench trials did not differ statistically”
- Bureau of Justice Statistics, Tort Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005, checked 2026-11-09. “Plaintiffs won about half of tort trials.”
- Revised Arizona Jury Instructions (Civil), State Bar of Arizona, checked 2026-11-09. “The pain, discomfort, suffering, disability, disfigurement, and anxiety already experienced, and reasonably probable to be experienced in the future.”
- Massachusetts Superior Court Model Jury Instructions, checked 2026-11-09. “Mental pain and suffering includes nervous shock, anxiety, embarrassment, or mental anguish resulting from the injury.”
- Revised Arizona Jury Instructions (Civil), State Bar of Arizona, checked 2026-11-09. “you must then decide the full amount of money that will reasonably and fairly compensate”
- A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-09. “If the jury applies either defense, the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault which is a proximate cause of the injury or death, if any.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.012, checked 2026-11-09. “the court shall reduce the amount of damages to be recovered by the claimant with respect to a cause of action by a percentage equal to the claimant's percentage of responsibility.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.0105, checked 2026-11-09. “recovery of medical or health care expenses incurred is limited to the amount actually paid or incurred by or on behalf of the claimant.”
- Arizona Constitution, art. 18, § 6, checked 2026-11-09. “the amount recovered shall not be subject to any statutory limitation”