Video: Can You Get Pain and Suffering After a Massachusetts Car Accident?

May 27, 2026

Transcript

Massachusetts Car Accident Pain and Suffering FAQ

Massachusetts Personal Injury FAQ. I’m Attorney Tracy Paulsen, founder of Rightful Legal. Each week, I will answer injury law questions people in Massachusetts are asking and that I hear from many of my clients every day.

What Pain and Suffering Means After a Massachusetts Car Accident

After a Massachusetts car accident, many people think their case is only about medical bills. But a personal injury claim may also include pain and suffering.

Pain and suffering means the human impact of the injury. It can include physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of sleep. It can include the loss of activities you used to enjoy and the way an injury affects your daily life.

The $2,000 Legal Threshold in Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Cases

But in Massachusetts motor vehicle cases, there’s an important threshold to understand.

In many car accident cases, you generally need more than $2,000 in reasonable and necessary medical expenses before you can recover for pain and suffering. There are also important exceptions to understand.

Important Legal Exceptions to the Pain and Suffering Threshold

The threshold may not apply if the injury involves death, a fracture, loss of body member, serious and permanent disfigurement, or serious loss of sight or hearing.

So the question is not just whether you were hurt. The question is whether your injury meets the legal standard for pain and suffering under Massachusetts law.

Why Medical Documentation Matters

And today, with $2,000 being the threshold, that’s not very difficult to reach. This is one reason medical documentation matters so much.

If you’re injured, it’s important to get the appropriate care as quickly as possible. It’s also important to follow treatment recommendations, and it’s important that your medical records clearly connect your injuries to the crash.

How Insurance Companies Fight Pain and Suffering Claims

Insurance companies often look for gaps in treatment. They may argue that your injury is not serious, that your pain came from something else, or that you recovered too quickly.

That is why the details matter. Pain and suffering is not just about saying, “I hurt. I have pain.” It’s about proving how the injury affected your body, your work, your family life, your normal routines, and what you may have missed in your children’s lives.

Real Examples of Pain and Suffering

A back injury that changes how you sleep matters. A concussion that affects your concentration at home and at work matters. A shoulder injury that keeps you from lifting up your young child matters a lot.

A scar, a fracture, or a permanent limitation can change the legal value of your claim.

How to Build a Strong Personal Injury Case

The strategy is to build the case carefully from the very beginning, which means documenting the crash, the medical treatment, the symptoms, and keeping a journal of how this affects your life.

What Determines Pain and Suffering Compensation

So yes, you may be able to recover pain and suffering after a car accident in Massachusetts or any other accident in Massachusetts, but the right to recover and the value of your compensation depends on the facts and the medical evidence.

Contact Rightful Legal

If you have questions about your potential case or your rights, you can reach me directly at 617-821-5856.

Here at Rightful Legal, we help clients across different types of injuries all over Massachusetts. We want to bring you the justice and compensation you deserve.

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