Recovering Compensation for Emotional Injuries Means Documenting Your Symptoms and Care
It isn’t easy to put a price on the emotional pain and psychological symptoms that you and your family members experience after you’ve been hurt in a major wreck. Unlike purely physical injuries, you probably won’t receive an itemized bill that reflects the real “costs” of depression, anxiety, or even the daily difficulties and suffering that you go through as part of your recovery from an accident.
While it is possible in many cases to recover compensation for emotional suffering and psychological care, you will have to carefully document your experiences in order to “prove” that you should be compensated by the other driver’s insurance company. Here a few tips to help you get the “whole picture” of your recovery on record:
- Talk to your doctor. If you don’t let anyone know about the troubles you’ve been having, then you can’t get the care you deserve. Don’t be afraid to open up to your doctor if you are struggling with sadness, grief, sleeplessness, anger, nightmares, or other emotional changes that affect the quality of your life and the people around you—or seek help from a qualified mental health professional.
- Keep a journal. Along with keeping your doctor informed, you can also try keeping a daily journal that includes details about how you’re feeling, your emotional state, and how your injuries are affecting your day-to-day activities.
- Let your attorney know. Although it can be hard to talk about the way an injury is affecting you emotionally or psychologically, it’s important to let your attorney know that you are struggling. He or she can then help you take important steps to legally document your pain and suffering and get the help you need during your recovery.
Are you having trouble making sense of everything you need to file a successful injury claim against another driver? Don’t hesitate to contact our law office at 312-332-1400 for help—or even just take a moment to learn more by reading through a free copy of our book, The 8 Steps to Follow After Your Illinois Car Accident.
