Richmond Workers’ Compensation Attorney: Proving Psychological Trauma

If you are trying to prove the source of injuries, speak with a Richmond workers’ compensation attorney. This may help you better understand the claims process and your rights when you have suffered a work injury. An attorney can also help determine the types of benefits you may be eligible to receive.

In addition to physical injuries, you may have suffered psychological ones as well. Physical injuries that are severe, disabling or life threatening may increase the chance that the patient will also experience emotional trauma. While stress and some degree of fear may be common after an injury, these emotions may go to a level that makes normal functioning difficult.

Proving psychological injuries isn’t easy. Like any other claim, you and your attorney must establish that your condition is the result of an incident that occurred at work. Unlike with physical injuries, an obvious cause-effect relationship (e.g. you fell from a ladder and hurt your back) may not exist.

To qualify under workers’ compensation, the emotional damages must stem from a physical injury sustained at work. Otherwise, if psychological injuries, such as depression and anxiety, are present on their own without a precipitating physical injury, the claim for emotional distress will not qualify for workers’ Compensation.

Some individuals may develop psychological injuries from a work injury. Your medical costs to treat both types of injuries may be covered under workers’ compensation.

Seeking Help from a Richmond Workers’ Compensation Attorney

If dealing with a work injury, contact a Richmond workers’ compensation attorney from the Injured Workers’ Law Firm at 877-755-7744 or 804-755-7755. In addition, make sure you obtain a copy of our FREE guide, Ultimate Guide to Workers’ Compensation in Virginia, which may help you better understand your rights as a worker.