How to Start a Personal Injury Journal After a Defective Product Injury

If you were hurt while using a defective product, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages. There are many kinds of evidence your attorney might need to prove damages including medical bills, financial records, and the deposition of various expert witnesses. While your lawyer can secure this evidence on your behalf, there’s one type of evidence you can create on your own—a personal injury journal.

Non-economic damages like mental anguish and lost enjoyment in life can be difficult to prove and even more challenging to quantify. Your personal injury journal might strengthen your claim for such damages by showing real-life examples of how the injury has affected your personal wellbeing.

Below are a few examples of what to write in your personal injury journal so it provides the most value as evidence:

1. Symptom Frequency and Severity

Every day, write down the types of symptoms you are experiencing as well as their severity on a scale of 1 to 10. Make note of how long the symptoms last and how frequently they occur.

2. Drug Side Effects

Were you prescribed a medication that is causing adverse side effects? Be sure to write about those side effects in your personal injury journal.

3. Medical Appointments

Make a note of every medical appointment you attend. Describe the nature of those visits including diagnostic screenings, exams, surgical consultations, operations, and physical therapy sessions.

4. Everyday Challenges

What kinds of limitations do your injuries pose? Are you unable to operate a motor vehicle, for example, or cook for your family? Have you been forced to miss social events? Every time you’re faced with a hurdle related to your injuries, write about it in your journal.

Be sure to record how you overcame each hurdle, as well. For example, did you have to call a loved one and ask for help or hire a service for assistance?

5. Your Mental State

How are the injuries affecting your mental health? Are you suffering from loneliness and isolation? What about stress, anxiety, or depression?

Describing your mental state over the course of your recovery and supplementing those entries with statements from a therapist could make it easier for your attorney to prove non-economic damages like loss of enjoyment in life, mental anguish, and pain and suffering.

Call 320-259-5414 Today to Speak with a St. Cloud Product Liability Attorney

At Bradshaw & Bryant, we understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll that unanticipated injuries can have on your life. Our team will use all the resources at their disposal to help you pursue the highest possible settlement or verdict from the party responsible for your injuries.

Backed by decades of experience, we are not afraid to take on even the largest corporations and their insurance companies. Call 320-259-5414 or fill out our Contact Form to schedule a free case evaluation with a product liability lawyer in St. Cloud.