Sustaining a personal injury is not only about the wounds and physical pain. Usually, this injury results in emotional distress and seriously affects your quality of life. This is called pain and suffering in personal injury cases. It covers the emotional anguish and physical pain you have endured because of the accident that caused your injuries. Proving these damages can increase the monetary compensation you can get. With the guidance of a Moxie Law Group personal injury lawyer, you can effectively show your pain and suffering and strengthen your case. This is possible by taking the following steps:
Maintaining Medical Records
Medical records are not only mere paperwork. They talk about your injuries’ story and how they impact your life. They include:
- Treatment history. You need to keep a comprehensive account of your medical appointments, surgeries, and therapies you undergo because of your injuries. This documentation must cover all stages of your treatment, offering an organized record of your treatment journey. It can support your personal injury claim by showing the full extent of medical treatment you need for your injuries.
- Doctors’ notes. Your treating doctors can offer expert opinions about your injuries, your pain levels at different stages, and a prognosis for recovery. Also, doctors’ notes discuss your recovery duration and any permanent disability you may face. They can substantiate your claim by offering medical validation of what you have suffered and future health prospects.
- Medical prescriptions. You need to keep records of pain medications and those prescribed for psychological and emotional distress. By documenting these prescriptions, you establish the seriousness of the injuries you have sustained and the nature of your medical treatment.
Maintaining an Injury Journal
A journal can articulate the severity of your suffering and its effects on your everyday life. It should include the following:
- Everyday pain levels. Rate your pain every day on a defined scale to show consistency and progression. This illustrates your injuries’ daily effect on your life and helps establish a pattern that can support your injury claim.
- Emotional condition. You should take notes on the different emotions you feel regularly like anxiety, frustration, or sadness. This will paint a clear picture of how your injuries impact you emotionally.
- Activity limitations. Take down activities and tasks that are hard or impossible to perform after the injuries. This should include information like changes in everyday routines or the necessary assistance for even simple tasks. These details can offer evidence of the way the injuries have changed your life.
Collecting Witness Statements
Witness statements offer a third-party perspective on how your injuries have affected you. They could come from the parties below:
- Loved ones and friends. Your family and friends can offer observations about how your injuries have changed your behavior, capabilities, and well-being. This can help paint a picture of your life after the injuries.
- Co-workers. Statements from your co-workers can attest to the decline of your work performance and restrictions. They can substantiate your claim for missed work opportunities and diminished capabilities.
Obtain Expert Testimonies
Experts in Salt Lake City can offer insights into the effects of your injuries. The following can offer testimonies that strengthen your case:
- Medical experts. These experts can elaborate on the seriousness of your injuries and explain how this can affect your health in the long term. The opinions of these experts can help establish a medical basis of what you have suffered due to your injuries.
- Mental health experts. A psychologist or psychiatrist can offer testimonies that can validate your emotional distress claims. Their opinions can prove how your injuries have affected you psychologically, which gives your injury claim an extra layer of legitimacy.
