A2 Law - Psychiatric Injury

Psychiatric Injury (PI)

PI is also known as nervous shock, previously it had not been included in the law because it was difficult to prove. PI includes post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and according to the case of Vernon v Bosley pathological grief disorder (PGD). It excludes grief, sorrow and emotional distress.

There are 4 categories of people who can claim:

Primary Victims are those who were suffered PI because they were physically injured or they feared for their own life. In Dulieu v White and Sons the victim was a primary victim when a horse drawn van drove into her work place. According to Page v Smith the thin skull rule applies to primary victims.

Rescuers are those who put themselves at risk to save others and suffered PI because of it. In Hale v London…