Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
Seattle Personal Injury Attorney Chris Thayer
Handling Personal Injury Claims in the Seattle Area and Throughout Washington Since 1995

My name is Chris Thayer and I am a personal injury attorney practicing in downtown Seattle. I handle personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death claims throughout the greater Seattle area, including Issaquah, Mercer Island and Kirkland.

I am here to help you.

Call for a free consultation (206) 340-2008

How Keeping a Pain Journal After an Accident Can Increase Your Settlement

Posted Friday, March 12, 2021 by Chris Thayer

A car accident can be a truly devastating occurrence mentally, physically, and financially. It may feel like asking you to write a pain journal after a vehicle collision is just adding insult to injury. After all, you are probably investing a lot of effort in trying to ignore your pain and get on with your life. However, it is not fair that you have to suffer the medical consequences of someone else’s negligence or recklessness. It is important to seek medical attention immediately following an accident, to ensure that you are aware of all injuries and that they are documented for insurance and the settlement. Injuries left untended, or that you try to ignore, can turn into permanent injuries and chronic conditions. Filing a personal injury lawsuit can be a way of ensuring that you are able to get the medical care that you need, without being barred by cost or a lack of insurance. If your harm was caused by someone else’s negligence, they are legally and financially responsible for the damages. A Washington personal injury lawyer can help you sue them to collect the compensation that you are owed by law.

*What is a Pain Journal? * A pain journal can be whatever you want it to be, but in its simplest form, it is a daily journal tracking your pain, physical limitations, and emotional trauma, following an accident. In your pain journal, you may choose to include frequent photographs and documentation of your injuries, doctor’s appointments and appointments with specialists that you attended for your injuries, time out of your day spent tending to your injuries, how your injuries or pain have affected your ability to engage in day-to-day life, complete personal care tasks, or do your job, and any emotional issues that are coming up for you, including nightmares, panic attack, and increased anxiety. If you used to be a delivery driver and you now have crippling panic attacks every time you are in a vehicle which kept you from doing your job, this is an important thing to write in your journal. If you could not hold your newborn baby because of the broken arms you sustained in a crash, that is also important to include.

*How Does a Pain Journal Help My Settlement?* Pain and suffering are non-economic forms of compensation, awarded based on the perceived pain and suffering caused to the victim. The more accurate and personal a picture you are able to paint of your pain and suffering for the jury, the more accurately they will be able to match a monetary number to the trauma you have endured. A jury can hear that you broke two arms in a car crash and understand that it hurt, but it is another thing for them to understand how it impacted you on a daily level — how it kept you from being able to cook for your children, or provide for your family, or how you still cannot sleep without nightmares.

*Talk to a Washington Personal Injury Lawyer * If you have been injured in a Washington car accident, Pivotal Law Group wants to help you fight to get the compensation that you deserve. Serving Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Rento, Burien, Mercer Island, Issaquah, and all surrounding areas, our lawyers are prepared to offer you a free personalized initial consultation. Call today to schedule your free consultation.