Emotional Distress Caused by Personal Injury

 

Many people know about economic compensations for personal injuries. For example, it is common knowledge that if you are hit by a car because of the negligence of the other driver, you are entitled to money to cover your lost wages and medical bills due to your injury. But, you can also receive non-economic compensation, in the form of money for emotional distress caused by your injury.

What Qualifies as Emotional Distress?

By its very nature as a psychological phenomenon, emotional distress is hard to quantify. Pain and suffering from injuries is also hard to quantify, but is often perceived as more important or more legitimate than non-bodily psychological injuries. After all, it is easy to see how a person might be suffering from a broken arm or lacerations, while emotional consequences are hard to detect. However, this does not delegitimize your emotional distress – it is a very real thing that can happen to anyone in a traumatic situation.

Emotional distress can manifest itself in several ways and varies from person to person. Some common psychological symptoms which are regarded as emotional distress are sleep issues, paranoia, fear, depression, and anxiety. Just because these aren’t necessarily physical symptoms does not mean that you suffer less from them. In fact, psychological damage from accidents can affect your life much more and for much longer than physical injuries in some cases, and you are entitled to compensation for that.

How to Receive Damages for Emotional Distress

Because emotional distress is harder to prove than physical injuries, it is incredibly important to get as much evidence as you can for your psychological suffering. We highly recommend that you see a doctor for your emotional distress, since it goes a long way in backing up your claims. In addition, you might want to jot down daily notes about how your emotional distress has impaired your daily life to help others learn the extent of your problems.

Some states have caps on how much money you can receive for emotional distress, so it is important to consult a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer to understand your options. Sometimes it may be beneficial to file emotional distress claims separate from physical injury claims, so a good lawyer will be able to help you choose the right legal path to take.

Lawyers Who Care

At Lanzotti & Rau, we have proudly helped victims of traumatic accidents get the compensation they deserve for their injuries, both physical and psychological. No case is too small, and no amount of suffering should go without compensation. Nobody asks to be injured, and money can never fully cover the trauma of a negligent accident, but we will do everything in our power to make sure that you at least don’t have to worry about money to cover your suffering, medical bills, and lost wages. Contact us today for a free case evaluation at 573-335-9300.