Q: How is pain/suffering calculated from serious injury due to rhinoplasty?
I sustained a serious injury as a result of a rhinoplasty revision (same doctor who did the rhino one year prior). The reconstructive surgeon indicated my nose "had a heart attack", no more blood flow to my nose, and my nostrils were reduced to 1/3 the original size (which was a normal size to begin with and was also confirmed by ENT). I can't breathe through my nose any longer, it is completely numb, and remains red and bumpy 8 months after the revision (which was only 2 incisions made on my nostrils). The reconstructive surgeon has claimed a forehead flap is the only option to correct the problem. I have to completely have my nose reconstructed. It will take a 2 surgeries and I will have gone through this suffering for a total of 3 years when it's all said and done. What can I expect for a payment on pain/suffering roughly? How will that be determined? The cost of the reconstruction is $46k. The original rhinoplasty was $8k. Other damages to my eyes cost $2k out of pocket.
A:
An Oklahoma attorney could answer best, but your post remains open for four weeks. And by Oklahoma attorney, it would very specifically be your attorney. This isn't really a generic matter where you plug numbers into a formula to compute a figure. Your attorney is going to look at similar cases in your jurisdiction, and there will not be a great deal to go by because this is not a generic and common situation, as in the case of a cervical radiculopathy with six months of physical therapy. This is a much more singular type of case. Your attorney is going to review the file and look at all your damages, both economic and non-economic. Your attorney is going to thoroughly review the medical file, the venue in which your case will be tried, the strength of your expert testimony, individual considerations about yourself, and other factors. Good luck
Tim Akpinar
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