The litigation initiated by the 625 survivors of the Buffalo Creek flood who refused to settle with the coal company claims office was a landmark case. For the first time, individuals who were not present at the scene of a disaster were allowed to recover for mental injuries. Psychic impairment, the term coined for these injuries, was found in virtually all of the survivor-plaintiffs. In an out of court settlement, the survivors were awarded $13.5 million, $6 million of which was distributed on the basis of a point system as compensation for the psychological damages.