How Personal Injury Lawsuits Can Affect Your Relationship
Accidents happen at the most unexpected time and place. When it does, victims suffer a personal injury that can have a long-lasting impact on their personal life.
Often disregarded is the spillover of the consequences to other people in your life during the litigation of the personal injury lawsuits.
It will require your time and energy away from the family.
The decision to file a lawsuit or not may create conflicts and disagreements between the spouse and the children.
Dealing with adjusters, investigators, and case preparation is daunting.
Lawyers will dig into every area of your life to discredit you.
What is a Personal Injury Lawsuits?
Any impairment to the mind, body, or emotional condition of an individual, caused in whole or in part by another party is considered a personal injury.
It becomes a case when a personal injury lawyer represents the plaintiff at a civil court proceeding. Any experienced lawyer can answer a defendant’s personal injury FAQ to help recover the expenses due to injury.
A personal injury lawsuit is filed by the plaintiff, injured party, seeking compensation from the defendant, responsible party, by proving that the defendant is liable for the plaintiff’s impairments. The goal is for the defendant to pay the injured party’s medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other expenses pertaining to the case.
Effect of Length of Marriage
Americans who are over 25 years and married tend to get favorable verdicts and higher settlements in an injury claim than those who are single. This is associated with their suffering and/or loss of enjoyment with their spouse during an accident.
Long marriages are favored by the jury, it shows stability. The case has value if the couple is living together, except on military duty or assigned by the company elsewhere.
In case of a previous marriage, the former spouse may be called as a witness to your claim. The defense attorney may ask the spouse about drug use and previous injury claims among others.
The amount of pain, suffering, and satisfaction of life increase without having sex or struggle with sex due to the accident. The adjuster may ask the number of times you had sex before the accident and compare this with the frequency after the mishap.
The value of the loss of enjoyment increases as the difference in the amount of sex after the mishap increases.
Losses can be easily proven if you are married during the accident than on and off relationships. Spouses make better witnesses than people who you have short romantic affairs.
Emotional Distress
Emotional distress is tricky and hard to prove, recovery of damages for injuries is difficult to recoup. The courts recognize emotional distress as a condition of mental suffering that happens from a traumatic experience invoked by the negligence or intentional acts of another, mostly physical in nature. It can include anxiety, frustration, guilt, and humiliation… and lots more.
In personal injury claims, the expression “pain and suffering” refers to the physical agony and emotional distress a victim endures because of the mishap and the injury.
The seriousness of emotional distress affects the possibility for financial recovery. You should show how it disturbs your normal routine that is associated with the physical injury instigated by the defendant.
There are instances where expert witnesses are needed that includes a doctor, therapist, or psychologist to prove that you are suffering emotional distress from a personal injury.
Disagreements and Conflicts
Often, the parties involved have different points of view in resolving a case. Fortunately, there are many ways to settle legal disagreements and conflicts known as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). The suitable ADR method must be picked to have a good resolution.
Judicial Trial
A judicial trial ends up in court. Most cases seem to end in court, but most are resolved through other means. Only less than 10% are tried in court.
Negotiation
This is the most common method for resolving conflicts. A party attempts to settle the case through a one-on-one negotiation.
Arbitration
Lawyers or parties agree to submit the dispute to an arbitrator and will abide by the decision. The arbitrator will hear both sides where both parties can present exhibits, documents, and testimonies. Like in a court, just one side will succeed, unlike a trial the right to appeal is limited.
Mediation
The mediator, an unbiased person, assists with the interaction and encourages settlement that will be mutually beneficial to both parties. Mediation is the next step if the negotiation fails. They cannot make a decision or force an agreement.
