The damage linked to personal injuries is always beyond physical injuries such as broken bones, bruises, and property damage. The justice system is designed to help victims recover, both physically and financially, after suffering damages due to someone else’s negligence or intentional actions.
Seeking compensation for mental anguish and other aspects that are difficult to quantify is a challenging undertaking. Therefore, you must consult with a reputable Portland personal injury attorney for legal counsel and representation, where necessary.
Mental anguish
There’s no definitive action or situation that causes mental health issues or mental anguish. Individuals with a history of mental-related problems are more susceptible to mental distress. But different people react to traumatizing situations differently. Thus, it is challenging for the justice system to legislate these matters. Over recent years, there has been commendable progress. Today, victims of accidents can sue for disruptions to the overall quality of their lives.
Diagnosing physical injuries such as a fractured collar bone is more straightforward. On the other hand, mental anguish is a very broad term that covers various types of suffering or mental disorder that can be recognized by psychiatric professionals. Some of the common forms of mental anguish include;
- Mood disorders
- Stress and anxiety
- Depression
- Development of phobia or fear
- Sleep disorders.
If you have been battling with mental anguish after being in a vehicle accident and other type issues that could cause pain and suffering, you can file a personal injury case.
Proving mental anguish
Generally, proving the severity of someone’s anxiety or depression and how it has impacted their lives is a complicated process. It’s not as straightforward as showing how a broken leg has prevented you from going to work, performing household chores, and more.
A vehicle accident can cause stress or anxiety and prevent you from driving again. Similarly, a dog bite can prevent you from visiting a friend’s home or walking through a park due to severe anxiety. These are some of the instances that convey how different victims of accidents are likely to respond emotionally to a traumatizing experience. This causes psychological damages.
Note that the burden befalls you, the plaintiff, to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that mental anguish has impacted the overall quality of your life. Here are some of the effective tips to prove these elements.
- Outline all the psychological issues you are battling with
- Document these health issues, particularly medical reports created by a licensed mental health expert.
- Gather all the necessary pieces of evidence to prove that these mental issues have impacted your life negatively.
- Prove beyond a reasonable doubt that mental anguish has affected your life.
- Concretely prove causation between the offender’s negligence and the mental issues you have been experiencing.
Seek legal guidance
Proving that someone’s negligence caused the mental anguish and other challenges you have been battling with isn’t easy to task. You need the help of an experienced lawyer to help you figure it out.