Personal Injury Claims: Solving America’s Bullying Problem

Most people are taunted at some point during adolescence. It occurs so much that it's often viewed as a rite of passage. However, the majority of us understand now that bullying is not normal behavior, and it should not be accepted. Personal injury claims related to bullying are commonplace, and laws, as well as regulations, aim to put an end to it altogether. Defining Bullying It can be difficult to draw clear lines as to when taunting or teasing occurs, versus bullying. Although they're similar, bulling refers to incidents in which there is an imbalance of power. For instance, when a popular student picks on a less popular student. This was also seen in a Charleston personal injury case a few years back, as the school district and a West Ashley High School teacher came under fire, when the teacher allegedly bullied a boy repeatedly. Of course, this doesn't end when adulthood hits, though it's generally referred to as harassment. Bosses intimidate employees, spouses pick on one another, the list goes on. The major defining factor in whether incidents are considered to be bullying is that one person has real or perceived power over the other, whether it's in status, or physical prowess. The Scars of Bullying Can Last a Lifetime A paper released by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health states that around 30% of teens, which equates to more than 5.7 million of them, have been a victim of bullying. At the same time, BullyingStatistics.org reports that more than 160,000 kids skip school every day in America because of bullying. It also makes them between two and nine-times more likely to consider suicide. Moreover, victims routinely suffer from behavioral problems, psychotic issues, depression, and anxiety, long after the bullying stops, according to Louise Arseneault of the Developmental Psychology Department at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College in London. The continued toxic stress actually changes the way an individual's body responds to stress later in life, and can have long-term health consequences. Bullies Tend to Have Problems in Adulthood as Well Children who were bullies in junior high school are 60% more likely to have a criminal conviction by age 24 than their counterparts, per an article printed by Michigan State University. Overall, they're also five-times more likely to have some kind of a serious criminal record later in life than a victim as well. Those who enter the workforce instead of the judicial system cause $3 billion in lost productivity and $19 billion in lost employment annually.In addition, they're three-times more likely to harass someone, six-times more likely to fight, and ten-times more likely to lie than other adults. Experts say that early intervention can help negate these long-term consequences.

Charleston Personal Injury Attorney

Bullying is a huge problem that follows the offender and the victim through life, and it must be stopped early. Due to the amount of damage a bully can cause, courts will often provide reparations for medical expenses, counseling, pain and suffering, as well disbursements for other expenses that result. Moreover, schools and employers can also be held accountable for failing to intervene to protect a victim. With that said, cases tend to be fairly complex, and require an expert litigation team. If you or your child has been, or is currently being bullied, please contact us for a consultation. You can talk to one of our attorneys right away by calling 1(800)610-2546.