How to Prove Emotional Distress

It is easier to quantify the dollar value of some things than others. If 10 people each buy $100 of beignets from different bakeries, they will probably each end up with a similar haul. Likewise, the differences between a $100 haircut and a $20 haircut are predictable; the $100 haircut takes place in a luxury salon instead of a no-frills barbershop. But how much loneliness can $100 take away? How many missed opportunities can it bring back? Most people do not have to think about this; even accountants, who regularly ask you how much your job costs you in terms of child care and work-related travel, do not ask how much stress your job costs. Assessing the unquantifiable, such as emotional distress and pain and suffering, is all in a day’s work for car accident injury lawyers, however. While the law has its way of deciding how much to award as compensation for emotional distress and pain and suffering, known as  general damages, the best thing you can do as a client, is to show as much documentation of your physical and emotional suffering as you can.

How to Show Evidence of Emotional Distress

The more specific details you can provide about how your life has changed since the accident in which you were injured, the more likely it is that a court will award you money for pain and suffering or emotional distress. Here are some ways you can document your suffering.

• Your medical records are the strongest proof. No judge can deny that serious physical injuries, the kind that require extensive medical treatment, also cause emotional pain.
• Whether or not your physical injuries are severe, your medical records can also directly give evidence of emotional suffering. Documentation that you have sought the help of a mental health counselor or been prescribed psychiatric medications such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs can help. Even if you suffered from depression or anxiety before the accident, your medical records will show if the injuries you suffered as a result of the accident made your depression or anxiety worse.
• Keep a detailed journal of your life after the accident, even if you never kept a journal before the accident. It will show how much your injuries disrupt your daily life. It will also give an indication of your general emotional state. Even if you do not write in great detail about your emotions, just a simple record of your activities will show how much of your time is taken up by meetings with doctors, lawyers, mental health counselors, and physical therapists.

Contact Patrick Yancey About Car Accident Cases

Car accident lawsuits are about more than just getting reimbursed for medical bills. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana to see if you have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.