Though the practice is technically illegal, hazing is still very common all over the country and can lead to very serious injuries. If you have been hurt psychologically or physically after being hazed, it is your right and responsibility to sue the people and/or organization responsible. But you do have to know what constitutes an injury first and determine whetherhazing really happened. Let’s take a look at what you should do if you think you have suffered an injury through hazing.
Get Immediate Medical Health
The very first thing you have to do is get medical help for your injuries. This will reduce the chance of complications and will allow you to establish your case early. A doctor will be able to document your injuries in detail and help demonstrate that they were consistent with hazing. Medical records are one of the most powerful pieces of evidence that you can bring to court, so do not take this lightly. If you feel like the injuries were psychological, then you may need to see a psychotherapist as they will help identify signs of mental trauma and provide evidence that you have indeed sufferedas a result of the hazing.
Get as Much Evidence as You Can
You should also try to get as much supporting evidence as you can. If someone else was hazed with you, you can ask them if they would be willing to file a claim too and help you support your case. Also, try to see if you can find people in the organization who may be favorable to your case so they can testify. Any other bystanders should be contacted as well if you can identify them, and you should try to get your hands on any kind of footage of the incident you can.
Speak with a Lawyer
Hazing and bullying and intimidation cases are very complex, and they have to be handled by lawyers who are specialized in them. This is why you will need to contact a hazing, bullying and intimidation law firm like Romanucci and Blandin if you want to get the compensation you deserve. A firm like this will be able to dig deeper and find additional evidence to support your case.
A good lawyer team will go above and beyond and will look at any abusers’ past offences or see if an institution has a repeated history of hazing injuries. They will be able to tell if they were neglectful in the case, and help you hold them accountable. They will also help you build evidence, find witnesses, and expedite the release of certain documents.
Be as Discreet as You Can
Last, but not least, you have to be careful with what you say and do until you get a settlement or judgement. Do not sign any documents unless you have them reviewed by your lawyer and try to limit your interactions on social media. It would even be advised that you stop posting on social media entirely and try to limit interactions with members of the organization that hazed you to prevent further intimidation.Hazing injuries should be taken very seriously, and if you or someone you know has suffered one, you should do everything in your power to hold the proper parties accountable. The sooner you act, the greater the chance that you’ll get compensation, so start working on your case today and look for a team that will fight for you to the end.
