Generally, it is appropriate for an insurance company to offer an injured party some compensation for pain and suffering.  That being said, insurance companies are getting tighter and tighter about what they are willing to offer to settle personal injury claims.  Certainly you can sue them for the pain and suffering portion of your claim, but you have to consider whether or not you really want to do that.  Typically what you can expect in a pain and suffering settlement is some variable of what your medical bills are.  While I understand that broken ribs can be extremely painful ( I broke two on a ride a Disneyland ), they generally do not require a lot of medical care, heal fairly well and generally do not leave any permanent injury.  That being said, the amount you could expect for a pain and suffering award is not a highly significant amount of money.  As such, pursuing a formal civil lawsuit, in which you would need to hire an attorney, just might not be cost effective for you.  Suing someone is expensive, time consuming and draining.  What you might ultimately realize in the end may not justify the means.