Can Garcia recover damages for emotional harm after witnessing Wilson's accident with Walsh?

The question revolves around whether Garcia can recover damages for emotional harm after witnessing a traumatic event. In tort law, particularly in the context of witnessing accidents, a key requirement for a bystander to recover for emotional distress is often a close familial relationship to the victim. This principle is established to limit claims for emotional distress to those who have a stronger emotional connection to the events and those directly involved.

Although emotional harm may arise from merely witnessing an event, courts generally provide a more narrow scope for recovery, typically restricting it to immediate family members like parents, children, and spouses. Since Garcia is not family related to either Wilson or Walsh, this relationship limitation becomes pivotal in determining her standing to claim damages for emotional distress.

By focusing on her lack of familial ties to the victims, the rationale aligns with established doctrines in tort law that prioritize emotional harms suffered by those with deeper interpersonal connections to the parties involved in the traumatic event. This becomes the key reason why she cannot recover damages, despite having witnessed the accident. While the other options refer to Garcia's status or the nature of the event, they do not adequately reflect the recognized legal framework that prioritizes familial relationships in emotional distress claims.