What Are Examples of Emotional Distress and How Much Compensation Can You Get?

Following an auto accident or any other accident, physical injury is not the only thing you will have to deal with. Serious injuries can also result in emotional distress and mental anguish, which are compensable under Section 627.737, Florida Statutes.

Emotional distress, commonly referred to as negligently inflicted emotional distress in personal injury cases, can account for a significant portion of the injured party’s settlement amount.

Emotional distress and non-economic damages

Unfortunately, many people tend to disregard their emotional, psychological, and mental traumas associated with injuries caused by someone else’s negligence.

When filing a personal injury lawsuit, you can seek compensation not only for your medical bills to treat your physical injury but also for emotional distress, pain, suffering, and mental anguish, which are categorized as “non-economic damages.”

It is advised to consult with a Lakeland personal injury attorney to determine the extent and scope of your economic and non-economic damages, which may include negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Examples of emotional distress

Emotional distress, which is also referred to as “pain and suffering,” is a term that describes the psychological effects and mental anguish associated with a physical injury and accident. Basically, emotional distress refers to all of the emotional and psychological issues that you experience after the accident.

Some examples of negligently inflicted emotional distress in personal injury cases include:

• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Diminished quality of life
• Humiliation
• Embarrassment
• Anxiety
• Insomnia or losing sleep
• Depression
• Fear or phobias
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Psychological trauma
• Distress of a disability, disfigurement, or scarring

Like any other non-economic damages, emotional distress is very subjective. That’s because the extent of psychological trauma and emotional distress associated with an injury or accident may vary from one individual to another.

How much can you recover for emotional distress?

As we mentioned earlier, emotional distress can represent a significant portion of the personal injury case value. However, since all non-economic damages are rather subjective, it is always difficult to pin a dollar amount on emotional distress.

Factors that can affect how much compensation you can get for negligent infliction of emotional distress in a personal injury case include:

The severity of your physical injury. The severity of your physical injury plays a major role in determining compensation for pain and suffering or emotional distress in Florida personal injury cases. You are more likely to receive a higher compensation amount if you suffered a serious injury associated with long-term effects than someone who sustained a minor injury and can fully recover within weeks.

The strength of your legal case. The amount of evidence you have gathered and the overall strength of your personal injury case will also affect your emotional distress compensation. Your personal injury lawyer will help you collect sufficient evidence to prove the extent and scope of your emotional distress to help you maximize the value of your case.

Contact our Lakeland personal injury attorney

You need to consult with an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury attorney in Lakeland to help you evaluate your emotional distress and other non-economic damages. Our Lakeland personal injury attorneys at The Turnbull Firm will fight for the compensation you deserve. Call at 863-324-3500 to get a free case review.