On March 13, 1943, workers and shoppers  in London, England, had their lives interrupted by bomb-raid sirens that filled the air. Buses came to screeching halts and the drivers  let their passengers exit.  Drivers began  jumping out of their cars.

     Nearby, anti-aircraft artillery forces began to launch a salvo of rockets. People on the street began to scream. Others covered their heads or threw themselves to the ground. Many looked up to search for possible enemy planes in the air. Shouts of “They are starting to drop them”  began to be heard and an air of hysteria took hold.

     Nearby, at Bethnal Green Underground Station, 500 people had already gone below to take refuge. In the next 1o minutes, another 1500 would join them. Trouble began when there was a mass rush of people at the stairwell entrance. One woman, holding her baby, lost her footing on one of the nineteen uneven steps. When she tripped, it caused others to stumble behind her, in a domino effect, and tumble on top of her and her baby.

     Within seconds, hundreds of panicked and horrified people were thrown on top of each other. Matters became worse as the sirens continued and “late arrivers” thought that they were being deliberately blocked from entering the safety area. As a result, the throng began to push. The chaos lasted about 15 minutes. The untangling of the people and subsequent bodies lasted about 4 hours. 

     At the conclusion, it was determined that over the brief course of events, over 173 lives were lost. That included men, women and children. This, without any bombs being dropped. The only factor that caused the actions on those steps, following the sirens, was fear. ₁    

      I am getting prepared for a jury trial that will take place next week. My client was significantly injured as a result of two trucks colliding. One of the damages that the jury will ultimately consider is the damage of mental anguish. Sometimes, I think it is very hard for a jury to wrap their minds around that element of damage unless they have some personal experience with that concept.

     While I was in law school, I worked at a law firm as a clerk. That basically meant I was the one, under the guise of preparing to be a lawyer, to do anything that any lawyer at the firm wanted done. That included making bank runs and picking up mail. Maybe that explains my enjoyment in getting my mail today.

     On a rainy day, a car ran a red light. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the car headed right for my driver door. Without thought, my reaction was to just hit the accelerator. It put me farther in the intersection and the car fortunately crashed into the back panel of my car instead of hitting me where I sat.

     To this day, if I catch a glimpse of a car coming up to an intersection, and it appears that the car is going too fast, something seems to click in my mind. Right after the accident, I had a jumpy reaction to such such cars, even when they were just stopped . Now, I think it’s just a momentary thought.  As I look back, I think that it gave me a greater understanding of mental anguish.

     I do think that fear is a component of mental anguish. If I were a juror, I might put more value on it because of my life experience. That element of damage is difficult to value. However, I think that when I get ready to introduce evidence in trial, I am always reminded that perhaps injuries on the outside heal more quickly than injuries of the emotions and memories.

1. “Fear: A Cultural History, by Joanne Bourke