When a building collapses with people inside, it is highly distressing for everyone involved. There are inevitable questions that will need answering like who is to blame here, and why did it happen in the first place? It is important to find the answers, but where do you even start? Victims of a building collapse can read on to find out more about what steps to take after the incident.
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Keep a Record of the Consequences
It will be useful to keep a record of the consequences of the incident. This includes any injuries that you sustained, any complications, and all the time you had to spend in the hospital. This will all be helpful further down the line when it comes to finding the responsible party.
You must take the time to heal physically before you dive into anything too stressful. Building collapse victims may come off lightly with a broken arm or suffer from something more drastic like a traumatic brain injury, but the running theme to both is that they are caused by the same incident and cause similar mental turmoil which is also difficult to recover from.
Collaborate with Other Victims
Another thing you should do is find the other people who suffered because of the collapse. You can form a support group and share stories about what happened and what injuries people are dealing with as a consequence.
Find an Attorney
Whether you do it alone or as a group, finding structural collapse attorneys in Chicago should be a part of your healing journey.
There are lots of reasons why compensation claims are useful in this context, starting with the fact that you probably had to spend time out of work because of the incident and therefore suffered lost wages. Then, there are the medical bills you’ve had to pay because you got hurt.
There is also mental turmoil worth considering which will cost you money to heal from through therapeutic channels. Finally, the emotional toll is also relevant to compensation claims and concerns the level of distress and the after effectsof anxiety and mood wise.
Look Out for PTSD Symptoms
It is very important to keep an eye on your symptoms post-incident. PTSD can happen to anyone who has lived through a traumatic event, and any victim of a building collapse will have a degree of trauma whether they realize it or not.
If you start to have vivid flashbacks, insomnia, and noticeable peaks in anxiety it is possible that you may be suffering from PTSD. This will need professional intervention and can lead to a range of complications with your mental health that are worth keeping at the forefront of the discussion around compensation. It’s never an easy thing to do, but severe consequences like this should not be taken lightly.
If you are hurt in a collapsed building incident, it is vital that you take things slowly. Physical healing is the top priority, and mental healing will be a longer-term thing. Finding compensation alone or with the rest of the victims will make life easier while you try and navigate this tricky time.
