In a personal injury claim, many types of psychological damage count as injuries. Since psychological injury is considered personal injury, you can recover damages to compensate you for your losses.
Injuries that are emotional or psychological in nature often fall under the umbrella of non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are not easily quantifiable in dollar terms. They differ from economic damages, which include hard costs like the price of replacing a totaled car or a hospital bill for a broken arm.
A personal injury lawyer Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C., can evaluate your claim and determine the damages you might be eligible to receive for your psychological injuries. Call us today at 800-550-0000 for a free consultation.
What Are Psychological Injury Damages?
When you suffer adverse psychological effects from a personal injury, it can affect your ability to work, carry out daily living activities, and enjoy life. Though such losses can be difficult to think of in dollar terms, you deserve compensation for them. This payment comes in the form of psychological injury damages.
Personal injury claimants often receive damages for the following psychological injuries.
Emotional Anguish
This refers to emotional suffering following an injury, including grief, fright, and depression. It is an intentionally broad umbrella, covering many types of psychological effects. If you are not feeling like yourself after an injury, you might be suffering from emotional anguish. We can help you pursue damages for it.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a recognized medical condition in which a traumatic situation results in lasting psychological damage. A serious accident, such as a severe car crash, could cause PTSD.
Fear, Anxiety, and Avoidance
A traumatic injury can often generate irrational fears or anxieties that cause the sufferer to avoid certain behaviors or situations. For instance, a car accident victim might refuse to drive or ride in a car as a passenger because they are afraid of getting into another crash. Such avoidance behaviors can have significant negative effects on your ability to lead a normal life.
Humiliation
Even humiliation and severe embarrassment can have negative psychological effects capable of disrupting your life. You might be able to recover non-economic damages to compensate you for this.
How Do I Document My Psychological Injury?
To win compensation for psychological damage in a personal injury case, you need detailed, thorough documentation of what you have been through. The best ways to document your psychological symptoms are you tell your doctor exactly what is going on and to keep a daily journal of your experiences.
Tell Your Doctor
The best proof in a personal injury case is medical evidence. In other words, testimony from a doctor or medical professional is much more valuable than testimony from the accident victim, even if the two statements say virtually the same thing.
By visiting your doctor and telling them what is going on, you can transfer your own thoughts and struggles to an official medical record. We can use that medical documentation to support your right to compensation when we file your personal injury claim.
Keep a Journal
Even though your own testimony is not always as valuable as your doctor’s, it is still helpful to keep a detailed daily journal of your psychological struggles. If your case ends up going before a jury, such evidence can have a powerful emotional effect and work in your favor.
How Much Can I Win in Damages for My Psychological Injury?
The amount of damages you can recover through your personal injury claim depends on the severity of your injuries and the details of your accident. The methods we use to recover compensation differs based on how your accident occurred and the identity of the at-fault party. We would pursue a motorcycle accident claim differently than a medical malpractice case, for example.
In some cases, there may be damage caps on the amount of compensation you can recover for your psychological injuries. Our attorneys can review your case and determine if these caps apply.
Do You Need Help With a Personal Injury Claim? Call 800-550-0000 for a Free Attorney Consultation.
The attorneys at Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C., focus on personal injury, including psychological and emotional damage. We can help you receive full compensation—including non-economic damages—after an accident. To schedule a free consultation today, call us at 800-550-0000.
