What if my injury was not physical? What if it was psychological (stress) . . . can a Boston personal injury lawyers still help me?

When a person thinks of a personal injury case, he or she may think of those who have broken bones, become disfigured, or have lost the ability to work. While these are all serious physical ailments, personal injury can also include emotional damages.

What are Emotional Damages?

Emotional damages are monetary rewards for any psychological issues that your injury has caused. For instance, if you were attacked by a dog, you may have nightmares of the incident or you may be too fearful to leave your house. If you were injured in a car accident and you saw your friends or family members get hurt, you may be suffering from PTSD or depression.

Is it Easy to Get Compensation for Emotional Damages?

Unfortunately, there are so many variations of psychological stresses, that it's hard to pinpoint an exact definition. You could get compensation with a Boston personal injury lawyer, but these kinds of injuries are harder to prove usually. The most important thing you can do is to document any physical manifestations of your stress, such as

•                     fatigue

•                     nightmares or insomnia

•                     sweats, fevers, chills

•                     racing heart

•                     tense muscles

•                     irritability

•                     emotional outbursts (e.g. Crying all the time)

Since it's reasonable to say that most personal injuries will cause some degree of emotional turmoil, these documents will show you, your lawyer, and your doctor whether or not you qualify for emotional damages. Besides listing symptoms, be sure to document how these symptoms interfere with your day-to-day activities.

If the party you are suing tried to intentionally inflict emotional distress (e.g. Road rage during a vehicular accident), you could actually build good evidence in an entirely separate case. Some personal injury cases lump emotional damages with physical damages, but if the defendant was clearly trying to spur emotional turmoil, then you could recover more compensation in a separate case. Of course, your Boston lawyer will advise you on the best path to take. To see if you should pursue emotional damages, contact a Boston injury Lawyer for a free consultation.