How is the value of compensatory damages calculated in a personal injury case? In this video, Attorney Gabriel Levin, owner and founder of The Levin Firm in Center City, Philadelphia, explains how juries evaluate non-economic damages — including pain and suffering — and how personal injury lawyers present evidence to tell the full story of an injured person’s life.
Unlike medical bills or lost wages, compensatory damages are not based on receipts. They are determined by a jury after hearing testimony, expert opinions, and real-life evidence showing how an injury has permanently changed someone’s life.
👉 What You’ll Learn:
What compensatory damages are in a Pennsylvania personal injury case
The four specific areas of compensation a jury can award
How pain and suffering is evaluated
How loss of life’s enjoyment is proven
When scarring, disfigurement, embarrassment, and humiliation apply
How lawyers use testimony and expert witnesses to establish value
The role of the jury in determining the total compensatory award
⚖️ The Four Areas of Compensatory Damages in Pennsylvania:
1️⃣ Pain and Suffering
Compensation for the physical pain caused by an injury, both past and future, as supported by testimony and medical evidence.
2️⃣ Loss of Life’s Enjoyment
Damages awarded when an injury prevents someone from doing activities they once loved. For example, a spouse may testify about how an injured person can no longer run, play sports, or participate in hobbies. In some cases, this loss may outweigh physical pain itself.
3️⃣ Scarring and Disfigurement
A jury may consider testimony from a plastic surgeon regarding the severity, permanency, and potential revision of scars — and how the injured person must live with them for the rest of their life.
4️⃣ Embarrassment and Humiliation
Compensation may be awarded if an injured person feels embarrassed or humiliated going out in public or interacting with others because of visible injuries or disfigurement.
Each category is independently evaluated, and the jury assigns a separate value to each.
🎯 The Lawyer’s Role:
Attorney Gabriel Levin explains that his role as a personal injury lawyer is to fully tell the client’s story, using testimony, experts, and evidence so the jury can understand the true impact of the injury and determine fair compensation.
📍 Our Office Address:
1500 John F. Kennedy Blvd #620
Philadelphia, PA 19102
📞 Local Phone:
215-825-5183
🌐 Stay Connected:
Website: https://www.levininjuryfirm.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winwithlevin/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/LevinInjuryFirm
💼 About The Levin Firm:
The Levin Firm is a Philadelphia-based personal injury law firm founded by Attorney Gabriel Levin. We represent injured victims in serious accident cases and work to secure full and fair compensation by presenting the complete human story behind every claim.
We work on a contingency-fee basis — you don’t pay unless we win.
Learn more: https://www.levininjuryfirm.com/
✅ Next Steps:
Injured and wondering what your case may be worth? Call 215-825-5183 for a free consultation.
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⚠️ Disclaimer:
This video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is unique — consult an attorney to discuss your specific situation.
Transcript
Hi, my name is Gabriel Levin. I'm the owner and founder of The Levin Firm, a personal injury law firm here in Center City, Philadelphia. Today, I've been asked to discuss how we calculate the value of a person's compensatory damages or pain and suffering.
In Pennsylvania, you're entitled to 4 areas of compensation. The first is pain and suffering. The second is loss of life's enjoyment. The third is scarring and disfigurement. And finally, you're entitled to compensation for embarrassment and humiliation.
Each of these four areas is independently assessed by the jury and awarded a separate amount, very similar to the way you would consider a grocery list. So if you imagine a jury slip has multiple lines on it, next to it, each of these areas of compensation is listed and the jury awards a separate compensatory amount for for each area. The way that we go about determining how much each area is worth is a variety of ways, with testimony, with expert witnesses, with direct and circumstantial evidence. We use a variety of techniques in proving these. For instance, scarring and disfigurement, we often bring in a plastic surgeon who's gonna talk about the nature of the scarring, the permanency of the scarring, what if any revision is capable for the scarring, and how you're going to have to deal with it for the rest of your life.
For something like loss of life's pleasures, we might bring in a spouse who talks about how you used to be a runner, but now your knee injury prevents you from running. The example I always give the juries is, imagine you were a professional basketball player and you lost a leg. Well, playing basketball was the joy of your life. Certainly the pain associated with The loss of the leg may subside over time, but the enjoyment that you once had, and that you had for your entire life playing the game of basketball, is now over. And so, in many respects, the loss to your life's enjoyment will be a greater harm than pain and suffering, even.
In that particular example, you would also be entitled to finding for scarring and disfigurement, because losing a leg would be disfigurement. The hearing, and then also embarrassment and humiliation. So to the extent that you're embarrassed to go out in public or to meet with people because of the way that you look now, the jury is entitled to award you a special award of compensation for that harm. Figuring out the totality of a compensatory award is the job of the jury, and it's my job as your personal injury lawyer to tell that story completely. If you have a personal injury claim that you would like me to pursue, you can reach me at my law office at 215-825-5183 or at my website, LevinInjuryFirm.com.
