Unfortunately, when someone is involved in a catastrophic accident, they can suffer severe emotional damages on top of the physical pain they endure. However, many are unaware that they may qualify for compensation for the emotional pain they’ve been suffering. If you’ve been in a train accident while working, understanding the emotional damages you may endure as a result and what compensation you can recover for your suffering is crucial. The following blog explores more about these matters and why it’s in your best interest to connect with an experienced FELA lawyer from Doran & Murphy.
What Are Emotional Damages?
When someone is involved in an accident caused by the negligence of another party, they can suffer physical and emotional harm. While physical injuries like broken bones or limb loss are visible, emotional damages refer to the mental harm one is subject to following a traumatic event.
Common examples of emotional damage include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loss of quality of life
- Guilt
- Insomnia
- Cognitive changes
- Humiliation
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
If you break your back, for example, in a traumatic accident, you may endure pain for the duration of your recovery period. Because you are in constant pain, this can diminish the quality of your life, cause an inability to sleep, and lead to mental illness like depression.
However, it’s necessary to understand that you do not need to be involved in a traumatic accident to suffer from emotional damage. Any kind of injury can inflict distress and mental anguish, as even a simple injury can impact your life and cause suffering.
Are These Covered Under FELA?
The Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) is a set of regulations that holds employers liable for their negligence. Unlike workers’ compensation, which allows injured workers to recover compensation from their employer for any on-the-job injury, FELA is only applicable when the employer is at least partially liable for the injuries inflicted.
Though the physical damages inflicted by an employer can be compensated easily by medical bills, emotional damages are more challenging to compensate. This is because there are no quantifiable costs associated. However, emotional damages are covered under FELA. In fact, you can fight for past and future mental anguish.
Unfortunately, fighting for compensation for emotional suffering can be incredibly challenging, as it is subjective. An experienced FELA attorney can assist in assessing all of the damages – economic and emotional – to get you fair compensation.
At Doran & Murphy, our dedicated legal team understands how challenging recovering compensation can be. As such, we will do everything possible to fight for the compensation you deserve when you suffer emotional harm. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.
