Preparing a Personal Injury Claim in BC
A very important building block to your claim is what your friends, family, and co-workers can say about how your injuries have affected you.
When you testify in court about your harms and losses you may come across as self-interested because you’re seeking money as compensation. However, your friends, family, and co-workers have little or no self-interest in your claim. Decision makers such as judges and juries listen very carefully to what your friends, family, and co-workers have to say.
How do you tell your friends, family, and co-workers that you’ve been hurt and how your harms and losses affect your life?
The answer is two-fold:
1. Let people know you’re hurt; and
2. Tell people how your injuries affect you.
I’m not saying that you have to give long-winded complaints to everyone daily. What I’m saying is that if you’re hurt, you should say so and let people know how your harms and losses affect you. For instance, if you had to quit your softball league, tell people involved in your life that this upsets you and that you miss your teammates and the exercise and whatever other enjoyment you gained from softball.
The point is that you shouldn’t think that telling other persons is whining or a bother. Your friends and family, and your co-workers, will most likely be sympathetic and will offer assistance, as long as you are factual and sincere.
Suppose your injury is whiplash causing you neck pain and headaches. These injuries are largely unnoticeable to other people. Not to you though. When you get a headache and you have to stop what you’re doing, tell someone. You can say, “I have to stop working at the computer and lie down or go for a walk because I have another headache.”
If the other person is willing to listen, from time to time explain what kind of pain you suffer, how long it hurts, and how often it hurts.
It’s important that you keep track of these witnesses. It should be easy because they will be in your life. All you need to do is jot down names of people, and generally, over time, what they may know. This writing down contact information is most important with co-workers because they may leave the job or you may leave the job. If you hire a lawyer, she or he will talk to them to see how they can help your case.
The point is that you shouldn’t suffer in silence. It helps you recover if you talk about your injuries. It helps your claim too.
