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Emotional distress might be included in a personal injury case

Focusing on the physical injuries when you are in a car crash is easy to do. Many people who are involved in a crash will likely know that the impacts of the crash can go far beyond the physical.

Emotional distress is another type of injury that impacts the victims of these crashes. In some instances, the emotional distress impacts the person’s life even more than the physical injuries. This is partly because you can usually get treatment for the physical injuries and work on the healing process. You can also work on a emotional issue, but it might take more time and take more effort.

When you are injured by another person, such as if someone runs a red light and slams into your vehicle, you might decide that you are going to seek compensation for the damages you suffered. As part of the pain and suffering category of damages, there is a chance that you could claim emotional distress, but this might prove to be challenging.

For emotional distress claims, you will need to show that the issues you are facing aren’t fleeting. You will also have to prove that the mental anguish is significant from a medical standpoint. You will also need to tie the emotional trauma to the accident caused by the defendant. You may have to tie this together with the physical injuries that you suffered in the accident.

Many different points can come up in a personal injury claim. The presence of emotional trauma is only one of them. You also have to consider missed wages, medical care costs and other expenses that you have to cover because of the crash.

Source: FindLaw, “Does Pain and Suffering Include Emotional Distress?,” accessed Jan. 19, 2018

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