It is a sad and sobering truth that hate crimes have been unfolding for hundreds of years.
Crimes committed by the Nazis during the Holocaust serve to exemplify and encapsulate the horror and injustice of hate crimes. Unfortunately, thousands of citizens are personally impacted by hate crimes every year.
Definition of Hate Crime
The official definition of a hate crime is when a person commits a criminal act, such as property damage, assault, or harassment that is motivated by their bias against a person or group of people. This bias is often based on racial, sexual, religious, or other prejudices.
These attacks are often sudden, unexpected, and catastrophic. Following the incident, victims are forced to deal with physical pain, emotional trauma, and a number of other problems. At Russell and Hill, PLLC, we are fully committed to defending the rights of every American citizen and want to help those affected by hate crimes to find full and fair compensation for their injuries.
Why a Personal Injury Claim
Following an attack, there are a lot of things going on in the mind of the victims and their families. Not only are they suffering from physical pain and anguish, but they must also recover from an attack against who they are personally. Both of these injuries can have lasting consequences that can require ongoing medical care.
The costs for this medical care can quickly start to accumulate. Hate crime victims and their families can pursue financial compensation through a personal injury claim for the following types of damages:
- Physical Damages
Victims of hate crimes can experience serious, painful, and sometimes life-threatening injuries. The surgeries and medical services required to repair the damage, save the victim, and restore them to full health can be costly. A personal injury claim can help victims find compensation for the cost of their surgeries, their hospital expenses and transportation, as well as ongoing costs for therapy and rehabilitation. - Pain and Suffering
Hate crimes are unique in that they are not motivated by greed or need. Instead, they are motivated out of another person’s spite and hatred toward another person. Being on the receiving end of that anger often goes beyond physical pain. Hate crime victims often experience emotional and mental trauma following an assault. Many victims require ongoing counseling and even medication to ease anxiety and pain. The good news is that victims can pursue compensation for these injuries too. A personal injury attorney can help you to collect your doctor’s records and professional testimonies to verify pain and suffering. An amount can then be subscribed to this damage and added to your personal injury claim. - Additional Damages
There are a number of other damages that can be included in your personal injury claim following a hate crime. Some of these damages include:- Lost Wages: Compensation for wages lost during recovery
- Property Loss: Compensation for property such as homes, vehicles, clothing, and other belongings
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
Hate crimes are awful, horrifying events that should not be tolerated or ignored. You should not be forced to suffer for who you are and your attacker should not be allowed to walk away unaffected by the incident. There are fair, just, and legal methods to obtain compensation for your experience.
At Russell and Hill, PLLC, our attorney is determined and committed to assisting you with preparing a powerful and compelling claim to recover full and fair compensation for your injuries. For more information, contact us today by giving us a call at 800-529-0842 or filling out our contact form.
