Originally Posted by
thegodfather
Once the prosecutors have the case it's out of your hands as far as criminal proceedings go, other than testifying in court of course. So, as far as criminal proceedings are concerned, there is nothing for you to 'prosecute,' likely you and your friends were hurt bad enough, that even if you said "No, I don't want to press charges," the police/DA's office would do it anyway. I can however, offer you plenty of advice on what to do in preparation for a large civil suit against the perpetrators of this crime against you. Since there were numerous attackers, there exists the possibility that at least one of them is wealthy in some aspect. If not, in some instances the perpetrators home owners insurance policy will cough up a large chunk of change to cover a civil judgment against them. And, at the very least, you will be bankrupting them and ruining their credit for a very very very long time after they get out of jail. So....read on...
You need to take pictures of the damage to your bodies. Then, immediately, all of you who were assaulted need to see a physician and tell the doctor that you are having trouble sleeping because you have recurring nightmares about the incident. Ask your primary care physician to please refer you to a psychiatrist and to a counselor.
When you see the psychiatrist, tell the psychiatrist that you have been experiencing recurring panic attacks ever since the attack, and that you experience a great deal of anxiety when going out in public or being around people because of your assault. Tell the psychiatrist and your counselor, that you have trouble performing your activities of daily living because of what happened. Tell them that you have nightmares which keep you up during the night, you awake in a full panic with sweats. Tell them that it has significantly affected your performance at work (I recommend leaving early a few days out of the month, as well as calling out as frequently as you can without actually losing your job). Make sure that the psychiatrist and your counselor are documenting everything that you tell them. Also tell them that you sometimes have flashbacks to the attack where it almost seems like it is happening all over again in your mind. At this point, you will hopefully be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
This will be very important in a civil suit for your lawyer when suing for punitive damages and for pain & suffering. You want to get as much documented evidence as you can that since the attack, your life has changed in every possible way, your quality of life has been severely diminished since the attack, and most importantly, that you will NEVER be the same again. The psychiatrist may prescribe you certain medications, if you don't wish to take them, at least make sure that you refill the medication according to the schedule, and to take at least some of it around/during the time of the trial in case the court subpoenas blood work and would like proof that you have been taking the medication. It would also be prudent to get some character witness's, friends of yours, who will testify how you "just haven't been the same," ever since your attack. If you can afford not to work, and if you do not have a stellar job, it may be in your interests to quit working, and try to seek social security/disability, this way when the civil trial comes around, your lawyer can sue for lifetime lost wages. And then once the suit is over, your settlement money is in your bank account, you can make a miraculous recovery and return to work, with a nice nest egg in your account.
Good luck!
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