Emotional Truths about Mississippi Offshore Injuries

A Jones Act lawyer who specializes in offshore injuries often gains a unique perspective on the emotional constitution of a plaintiff. He or she witnesses dozens of victims who struggle through very similar problems relating to their injuries and the aftermath of those injuries.

Patterns emerge, as they often do, since human behavior is relatively predictable. Perhaps one of the most counterintuitive insights involves the client's emotional experience. More specifically, personal injury claimants experience an array of emotions during their cases. Here are two "insights from the trenches" about the emotional experience of clients:

#1 It's more difficult to predict how you will feel about your case than you think it will be.

As social scientist Daniel Gilbert explains in his landmark book, Stumbling on Happiness, human beings - including Mississippi offshore injury claimants - are surprisingly bad at predicting how they will feel when certain events occur (or fail to occur). For instance, you may think that winning a verdict or a big settlement will wipe away your problems and lead to happiness. But that might not be the case. Likewise, you may think that, if you lose, your life will essentially be over. Again, this catastrophic thinking is not justified.

#2 Your emotional experience will vary far more than you think it will during your case.

When you initially make contact with a reputable and experienced Jones Act lawyer, you may feel a flood of relief, as many of the uncertainties swirling in your mind get clarified. But as you progress and endure long stretches of waiting, possible setbacks, and additional uncertainties, your agitation and frustration may swell again. When a settlement or verdict is finally reached, your emotions may go through yet another swing.

The very nature of your emotional reactions may surprise you: you may feel happy for no good reason during a calm stretch in your case or suddenly agitated, jealous, defiant, or even elated by a minor, insignificant development. This emotional roller coaster ride is far more normal than many people realize.

The crucial takeaway is that you want your case to be guided by logic, experience, and a success-proven process. The attorneys at Vujasinovic & Beckcom have developed a careful, precise, and compassionate process to help Mississippi injury victims approach their cases strategically. Call to set up a free consultation at 877-724-7800. Also, you can download three extremely useful consumer reports from our website.