After getting severely injured in a car accident, you will easily be able to get compensated for your physical injuries if you were not at fault. The hard part is determining how much to ask for when it comes to the emotional injuries and lifestyle changes you are facing and will face in the future from this accident. Because it is hard to put a price on emotional damages, your personal injury attorney might suggest keeping a journal to record your feelings and life after the accident. Here are three things you should include in the entries you write in your journal.
The Losses You Struggle With
Keeping a journal is a great way to record your feelings, struggles, and issues at any time in life, but it can be especially helpful in proving emotional damages after a car accident occurs. You may want to try to write in your journal daily, or you could write in it only when something happens that would be helpful to record for your case.
One thing that you should record in your journal is any loss you struggle with because of the accident. As you write your entries, try to thoroughly explain how you feel, and include as many details as possible. Here are some examples of losses you might be experiencing:
- Usage of body parts – If you cannot move a certain body part, you could explain how this is preventing you from doing things. You could also explain how hard life is because of this loss. Include any detail in your life that is affected by a physical ailment relating to the accident.
- Driving – If you are unable to drive, your entries could include your feelings about no longer having the ability to go places you once could go.
- Memory – You might also have lost memories from the trauma of the accident, or you might find that you are extremely forgetful now.
If the accident would not have happened, you would not be dealing with these types of losses. These losses may be considered physical damages, but they can also be considered emotional damages, and you can ask for money for this.
Your Dependency On Others
The second detail to include in your journal may involve the dependency you now have on others. If you cannot drive, you will need someone to take you places. If you cannot clean your house, you may have to hire it out or have a friend do it for you.
If you were an independent person prior to the accident, having to depend on other people might be emotionally difficult for you. Explaining this in your journal on the days you feel sad, hurt, or embarrassed by this is a great way to prove the emotional trauma you are struggling with because of the accident.
The Effects You See In Yourself And Your Family
Finally, it's important to note any other details that could help you prove your case, and this can involve any effect you see in yourself or in your family. This can include the pain you struggle with each day, or it could include the pain your family is going through because you are now a different person than you were before. It can also include details about your doctor appointments or visits with a therapist.
The more detailed you are in your journal, the better off you may be when the time comes to calculate a settlement amount for your emotional trauma.
If you would like to learn more about personal injury cases, settlement amounts, and ways to keep a good journal, talk to a personal injury attorney today.
