If you were injured in an accident, and you were not at fault – or at least, not 'mostly' at fault – you should receive some amount of money for your pain and the impact the injury has had on your daily life. In accidents with minor, short-term injuries, it may be a small 'token' amount. When injuries are more serious, painful and/or long-lasting, the settlement of the pain and suffering portion of your claim increases sharply. See: Two Ways to Calculate a Pain and Suffering Settlement