5 Common Feelings for a Victim to Have
If you are having to go through cases, trials and more in order to come to an agreement over personal injury settlements, then there is probably a lot more going on in your mind then just want comes across at court. It doesn’t matter whether you were involved in a car accident or something happened at work to hurt you, there are certain things that every person goes through and you need to understand that it is completely normal. Your personal injury lawyers are there to get you through the legal procedures but they may not be able to help you when it comes to your mind. Here are some of the feelings and emotions that you might face in the up coming months.
Guilt
Even if you are not being sued as the at fault party, it’s easy for even the innocents in the situation to look inward and try to think about what they could have done to stop the situation. It doesn’t help that the opposing party may have the types of lawyers that will hound you and fiercely question you to the point of harassment. In these moments, you need to keep a clear head. You are not the one being accused here. You did nothing wrong and there was nothing that you could have done to change what happened. Sure, motorcycle accidents can be avoided if no one drives a motorcycle but if it wasn’t you on the motorcycle, that semi truck would have hit a pedestrian or another car or vehicle, because it was the semi truck that was in the wrong. Not you. You were just the unlucky victim that is now having to sit through these personal injury settlements meetings.
Embarrassment
This is another normal feeling that you might go through. No one likes being put on the spot and that is going to happen quite a bit during the process. Again, however, the best thing to keep in mind is that you did nothing wrong. Don’t let other people get in your head about how you are just doing this for the personal injury settlements money or something else. This is about justice and getting what is your right and teaching the offender a lesson to not do the same thing to someone else. If every accused party got away with what they had done, they would just do it again and again and more people would suffer. You are the one that is standing the gap for the potential dozens of people that could have been hurt. You’re a hero and there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
Victimization
There are a small percentage that forget the bigger picture and really do start going after the case because of the money. The problem here is now they begin to act victimized and no amount of personal injury settlements are enough. They can be tempted to make up more to the story than what happened or come up with new injuries or mental stress all of sudden. Don’t be that person. Stick to the facts and justice will be done. You will only hurt your case by acting the victim.
Trauma
Post traumatic stress is quite common for people who have been hurt. You may find then when you come across the object or person that hurt you before, you will feel panicky and anxious. If you start feeling like that, then it might be a good idea for you to talk to a professional. Seeing a therapist can help you get through those feelings of anxiety and pressure that come on you when you think back to your accident. There is no time limit to seeing a therapist so take all the time you need in order to get back to your normal life.
Depression
Going through some as traumatic as a personal injury case can do intense things to not only your body but your mind. Especially if you have been permanent incapacitated and your life is going to change drastically. This is another time where seeing a therapist would do wonders for you. The main thing that you need to combat depression is hope. Look for hope in your family, friends and support system. It’s there if you just reach out for it.
