May is mental health awareness month. Each year, millions of Americans and their loved ones are affected by mental illness. Some of these psychiatric and psychological conditions are caused or exacerbated by traumatic experiences such as personal injury accidents, medical negligence, or assault. Here is more on how personal injury can impact mental health.
Personal Injury and Mental Health
When someone is injured because of another’s negligence, they can suffer psychological as well as physical trauma. A person who suffers from this type of emotional injury may take years to recover from their experience. In some cases, the victim’s injury may be so severe that they will suffer psychological damage. Emotional injury is just as impactful as physical harm.
If you are experiencing mental health issues due to a traumatic experience, you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney to discuss your case. Our firm has experience helping people recover emotional damages from personal injuries.
Personal Injury Mental Health Injuries
When a person is involved in a personal injury accident, they can suffer emotional as well as physical injury. One of the most common mental health-related personal injuries a person can suffer is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a psychological condition that can be triggered and causes a person to relive their traumatic experience. Someone involved in a motor vehicle accident or other personal injury incident may experience PTSD symptoms that interfere with their daily life and ability to function at home or work.
When a person is harmed due to medical or other negligence, they may have severe physical injuries such as loss of a limb, paralysis, severe burns, or traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition, when a victim suffers these types of devastating or catastrophic injuries, they may develop mental health issues such as anxiety or depression.
Personal injuries can also be incurred when a person is subjected to sexual abuse or assault. Childhood and adulthood sexual abuse can have lifelong mental health consequences for victims. Victims of this type of harm may have PTSD, depression, and anxiety. In addition, abuse survivors may experience difficulty forming relationships and functioning within their home and work environments.
A person may also have a claim for damages because they lost their loved one due to wrongful death. When someone witnesses their family member’s death or injury due to negligence, they may have grounds to file suit for negligent or intentional infliction of emotional distress. Further, in a wrongful death suit, there may be compensation for any conscious pain and suffering the decedent experienced before their death.
Recovering Damages for Pain and Suffering
Generally, there are two types of damages in a New York personal injury case—economic and non-economic damages. There can also be punitive damages under limited circumstances. Economic damages generally refer to a victim’s out-of-pocket expenses for costs such as medical bills, property damage, lost wages, and time at work. These expenses are usually established through documents such as medical bills, pay stubs, and receipts. Non-economic damages for physical and emotional injuries are not quantified in the same way. These types of damage include a victim’s pain and suffering.
Establishing pain and suffering may involve providing evidence of numerous factors, such as:
- Any mental health conditions the victim may have developed due to their personal injury.
- The impact the accident has had on the victim’s daily life and relationships.
- Changes to the victim’s physical functioning and mobility.
- Whether the injury impacts the victim’s life expectancy.
In New York, a person who suffers a personal injury due to negligence may be entitled to compensation for the pain and suffering as well as other damages. However, it’s crucial to work with an experienced New York personal injury when gathering and presenting evidence of your pain and suffering and other emotional damages.
Our firm understands the importance of having what you need to heal from trauma and is ready to fight for you! Contact us today to schedule an appointment with an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Contact a New York Personal Injury Attorney
If you have been harmed due to negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your psychological harm and other damages. At Bonina & Bonina, P.C., we have over 50 years of experience helping injured New Yorkers. Contact us online or call us at 1-888-MEDLAW1 to schedule your free consultation. Home and hospital visits are available—se habla Español.