Unfortunately, assault cases are becoming more and more common in countries all over the world. There are tens of thousands of cases of assault every year in the US and they can cause serious physical, mental, and emotional damage. It is really important that victims of assaults take the right steps to ensure their protection, to bring their assailant to justice, and to get the compensation they are entitled to in order to help pay for any injuries and trauma they have sustained as a result of the assault. There are various types of assault and whilst there are different steps that a victim may need to take, there are some general things that all victims should do.
1. Get Yourself Safe
There are many forms of assault, but the first thing you need to do following an assault is to make yourself safe. Get out of the situation as soon as you possibly can to prevent a further incident which could become even more dangerous. It is always better to stay safe and protect yourself than it is to try and be heroic or protect your ego, so if it is an assault by a stranger in the street or somewhere else in public, just get away from your assailant as soon as possible and don’t escalate the problem. If your assailant is someone in your own home like a partner or parent, you may be too scared to leave. This is understandable and is common for victims of domestic assault. Take whatever measures you need to take to protect yourself when removing yourself from the situation. Reach out to friends or family members who will be able to help you get out of the situation and keep you safe. Often in domestic assault cases, there will be more than one victim
2. Contact The Authorities
Once you have got yourself safe, the next thing you must do is to contact the appropriate authorities. This will usually be the police but may also include child protection services or national domestic violence helplines. There are many victims of assault, particularly domestic assault, who will be scared about alerting the authorities, but it’s really important to know that the police and other organizations have extensive training and experience in how to get you out of a violent situation. The authorities will help to advise and support you, make sure that you are not in danger, and take steps to arrest your assailant and bring them to justice. The police will have you make an official police report so they can start their investigation and stop your assailant from hurting you or anyone else.
3. Seek Medical Attention
Assaults can cause different levels of injury and it is really important that you seek medical attention at the earliest possible time to ensure that you can recover fully from any injuries you have sustained. Sometimes people can be in shock following an assault and so may underestimate the extent of their injuries or even wrongly believe that they are not injured at all. It is vital that you are examined by a doctor who can use all their skills and experience to check you thoroughly and prescribe the right treatment and medication to help you make a full recovery. For your legal case against your assailant, you will need to take photographs and videos of your injuries in order to provide them as evidence in court. Your assailant may try to claim that your injuries were sustained in some other way so make sure that you tell your doctor what happened as they will be able to corroborate your story based on their examination of your injuries.
4. Seek Legal Representation
At the earliest possible time, you must seek experienced legal representation to help fight your corner in an assault case. Different types of assault will require different legal steps and if you have suffered a personal injury as a result of an assault, your attorneys will be able to advise you as to the best steps to take. Not only will your attorneys help protect your rights and keep you safe from further assault, but they will also be able to help you secure compensation so that you can get your life back on track. You can use Law Karma to find a lawyer to represent you who works on a contingency fee basis, at no upfront cost to you, allowing you to focus on your recovery without worrying about legal expenses. This ensures you get the legal help you need, regardless of your financial situation. Assaults can cause physical, mental, and emotional injury and trauma, and all of these can seriously affect your life. Your attorneys can help you to claim damages that will cover the cost of your medical bills as well as the pain and suffering you experienced as a result of the assault.
5. Apply For An Injunction
One thing that your Herb Subin Attorney, or a similar professional may advise you to do is to apply for an injunction against your assailant. Injunctions are the same as restraining orders and they will make sure that your assailant cannot come near you so that you are protected from further abuse or assault. There are different kinds of injunctions depending on the circumstances, but they include domestic violence injunctions, sexual violence injunctions as well as many others to help keep you safe. There are two types of injunction which a court can issue: a temporary injunction and a permanent injunction. A temporary injunction stops your accused assailant from coming near you whilst you are waiting to go to court or for the conclusion of a police investigation. A permanent injunction can then be placed on the assailant to indefinitely prevent them from coming near you or contacting you.
Assault can have awful consequences and it is so important that victims are able to get all the protection and justice that they deserve and that they need to get on with their lives. If you have been a victim of an assault, you must take the right steps to keep yourself safe and to ensure that you bring your assailant to justice. Remove yourself from a dangerous situation, contact the appropriate authorities and legal teams, and get swift medical attention. Assault of every kind is a terrible crime and only by addressing it in the correct way will we as a society be able to prevent it from occurring.
