What to Write in Your Personal Injury Journal after a Burn Accident

Suffering a serious burn injury can be a distressing, painful, and emotionally devastating experience. Victims often incur exorbitant medical bills, are unable to work, and are left to deal with a host of life-changing complications. 

During this challenging chapter, your health should be your number one priority. However, it’s also crucial to start thinking about how you will start building your personal injury claim to recover compensation for the losses you’ve suffered. 

Alongside seeking medical treatment and gathering evidence to support your case, it’s crucial to keep track of your recovery as this could prove invaluable in your fight for fair compensation. A personal injury journal is the ideal tool for this purpose, giving you a space to note down information about your doctor’s appointments, health complications, and daily struggles. 

Let’s look at a few details you might want to include in your journal:  

A Written Description of the Accident 

Many types of accidents, workplace incidents, and even product defects can lead to serious burn injuries. However, regardless of the cause of your wounds, it’s important to write down everything you can remember about this harrowing series of events as soon as possible. Penning a first-hand account while your memory is still fresh will ensure that you don’t forget important details about the incident. 

Aim to answer questions such as: 

  • What were you doing the moments before you were hurt? 
  • Did anyone else see the incident happen? 
  • Were you treated at the scene? 
  • Did police officers arrive to investigate what happened? 
  • Were there any surveillance cameras nearby? 
  • What did the liable parties say immediately afterward? 

Any information you can note down could aid your attorney in their investigation. For instance, if you were able to include the locations of nearby surveillance cameras, they may be able to obtain footage of the moment you were injured that could help support your version of events. 

Limitations 

If your injuries prevent you from doing certain activities or tasks that you were perfectly capable of doing before the accident, it’s important to note down details about such limitations in your journal. For example, the pain associated with a serious burn injury could prevent you from enjoying your hobbies, doing your job, or engaging in physical activity. Entries documenting these challenges could be used to build a case for loss of enjoyment in life, lost wages, and reasonably necessary replacement services. 

Pain Levels 

Burn injuries—even minor wounds—can be incredibly painful. While everyone experiences pain differently, there is no denying that these sensations can take a toll on your mental health. Fortunately, you will not only be able to seek compensation for the expenses you incurred because of your injuries but may also have grounds to pursue a payout for the psychological scars you’ve suffered because of the accident.  

However, unlike your medical bills and repair costs, there are no bills or receipts for pain, suffering, and distress. As such, you will probably need to rely on many different types of evidence to give others a window into the suffering you’ve endured because of your injuries.  

Your journal is the ideal space to note down your pain levels and describe these sensations in detail. In combination with other evidence—such as psychiatric reports and testimony from family members—you may be able to build a convincing case for non-economic damages. 

Speak to a Burn Accident Attorney in California Today 

Did you suffer a serious burn injury because of someone else’s negligence or recklessness? You may be able to recover compensation for the losses you’ve suffered.  

At Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, we understand the hardships you are facing, and our legal team is ready to step in and provide guidance, support, and aggressive representation during these trying times. To schedule a free case review with a California burn accident attorney, send us a message using our Contact Page or call us today at 1-800-GO-HARRIS.