After you have been involved in a personal injury accident, it can seem easier to understand that you would get damages for physical injuries that you have sustained than it would to get damages for things like pain and suffering and emotional distress. In fact, if you are trying to file a personal injury claim on your own, without the help of a lawyer, you may think trying to argue for compensation for your emotional distress is not worth doing. After all, you should start feeling better one day, right? This is not necessarily the case and it is one of the reasons it is so important to speak with a lawyer about your personal injury claim as soon as you can.
Is emotional distress that important?
If you are still reeling from the aftermath of an accident, there are many emotions that may be going through you. If this is immediately following the accident, you may still have a surge of adrenaline that has yet to wear off. As a lawyer, like a personal injury lawyer in Tazewell, VA from The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt understands, you may be dealing with emotional distress long after the accident has happened. What are some examples?
- You injured yourself by slipping and falling in a grocery store and no longer feel safe going grocery shopping
- You were injured in a car accident and no longer feel safe driving or taking public transportation
- Someone hit you with their car while you were riding your bike and you do not want to get back on a bike anymore
- A person’s dog attacked you and you no longer feel comfortable around dogs or other domesticated animals
These are just a few ways that emotional distress can impact your life daily and you may find that you must go through therapy to get a handle on how you are feeling and come to terms with how your life has changed. Even with a good therapist, you may not regain 100% of your comfort in doing your old habits because of the trauma you experienced.
Emotional distress is a valid problem that comes up after personal injury claims and you should not feel that it is not important enough to try to get help and try to fight for compensation. With the help of a lawyer, you can provide information that documents your emotional distress and what steps you are taking to work through it that may include therapy, a need for medication, or showing how it has permanently altered some aspect of your life. If you need help with filing for emotional distress damages after a personal injury, reach out to a law firm you can trust.