The Risks of PTSD After a Car Accident

PTSD after a car accident is a serious issue. For the three million people injured in car accidents each year, post-traumatic stress disorder is a significant concern. It’s more common than people realize.

When it occurs, it can be very difficult for a victim. If you suspect you or someone you know has PTSD after a car accident, it’s important to understand what it means and what your rights are. Our Miami car accident attorneys explain PTSD after a car accident.

PTSD After a Car Accident

PTSD after a car accident is a serious type of injury. It is a mental injury that can interfere with the victim’s ability to go about their daily life after an accident. It can cause severe mental health suffering and personal limitations.

PTSD after a car accident is a type of damages that a victim can claim when they’re in a car accident. It is payable as a form of injury that requires medical treatment. It is also compensable as a form of pain and suffering.

PTSD Car Accident Symptoms

PTSD car accident symptoms can show in several ways. In fact, when a car accident victim has PTSD, it might show in a way that isn’t immediately obvious. For example, a person with PTSD may be more irritable than usual. They may have trouble managing their emotions. The person, their loved ones, and even their coworkers might not realize that the car accident victim has PTSD.

Here are some PTSD car accident symptoms:

• Reliving the event – If you’re replaying traumatic events over and over again in your head, it may be a sign of PTSD. After a disturbing event, like a car accident, it can be hard to stop thinking about the accident. Going over the accident, again and again, can be a sign of PTSD.
• Avoiding people and social situations – Social anxiety can be a sign of PTSD. After an accident, a victim may begin avoiding people and social situations. Not wanting to socialize with others or go to events may be a sign of mental trauma because of a car accident.
• Feeling jumpy – When you react too quickly to startling situations, or when certain sounds upset you, it can be a sign of PTSD. The stress of a car accident can make you jumpier than you used to be.
• Difficulty concentrating – After a car accident, it can be hard to do your daily tasks. Going to work and other routine tasks can seem impossible. If you have difficulty getting going or difficulty focusing on your work after a car accident, PTSD may be to blame.
• Irritability – When you’re the victim of a car accident, it can start to seem like the littlest things bother you. In fact, everything might bother you after a car accident. It may be a sign that you have PTSD. Irritability is a symptom of mental trauma that may require treatment after a car accident.
• Reaction to loud or similar noises – Some things can trigger bad memories after a car accident. If you hear a loud bang or a sound that’s similar to a noise that was involved in an accident, it can cause significant stress. You may not be comfortable going places that you used to go because of the trauma. Reacting to loud noises can be a sign of PTSD after a car accident.
• Aggression – In the aftermath of an accident, a person may find themselves acting more aggressively than usual. When a person acts out with aggression, they may actually be responding to the trauma of the car accident. Sudden or unusual aggression should be looked at as a sign of mental harm because of the accident.
• Substance abuse – When a person is struggling with mental health injuries, they might turn to substances to cope. Substance abuse can be a way that a person tries to compensate when they’re really suffering from terrible injuries. Substance abuse is a sign of car accident PTSD.
• Risky behavior – A person who is suffering from PTSD might take unusual risks. Risk-taking can come in a variety of forms. Any kind of unusually risky behavior can be a sign of PTSD after a car accident.
• Difficulty holding down a job – PTSD injuries can make it difficult for a car accident victim to maintain steady employment. It can be hard to go to work every day when you’re struggling with mental injuries after a car accident.

If you’re hurt in a car accident, it’s essential to be aware of any unusual behaviors or even unexpected feelings. What might look like poor behavior can be a sign that the victim has PTSD.

PTSD Injuries in a Car Accident

Mental health injuries are genuine injuries that can occur in a car accident. Just like physical injuries are common from car accidents, mental health injuries are real injuries, too. Physical injuries require treatment to heal. In the same way, mental health injuries require treatment.

When you have mental health injuries because of a car accident, treatment is part of your right to compensation. Legal compensatory damages because of a car accident include the cost of mental health treatment. Psychiatric care and counseling are a part of mental health care that is deserving of financial compensation as part of economic damages following a car accident claim.

Mental health injuries also come into play as part of your pain and suffering and other non-economic damages. Mental health injuries are the very essence of pain and suffering, along with physical pain, limitations, and changes in lifestyle. When you have mental injuries, you’re suffering. You deserve compensation for a mental health injury, just as you deserve compensation for your physical injuries.

How Can an Attorney Help With PTSD After a Car Accident?

An attorney can help you with PTSD after a car accident by helping arrange for you to get the treatment you need for your PTSD and the compensation that you deserve.^[1] They can help you get the right documentation to prove what mental health damages you have, including PTSD. They can help you verify your injuries and prove your claim for financial compensation based on the applicable law.

Contact Our Miami Car Accident Lawyers About Your Claim for PTSD Today

Call our attorneys for PTSD after a car accident for a free consultation about your case. We know that PTSD can leave car accident victims suffering long after physical injuries heal. This prolonged suffering makes it essential to get the compensation you deserve for you mental injuries after a car accident. The experienced Miami car accident lawyers at Bernstein & Maryanoff Injury Attorneys can help.

Sources

[1] Beck, J. G., & Coffey, S. F. (2007). Assessment and treatment of PTSD after a motor vehicle collision: Empirical findings and clinical observations. Retrieved 17 February 2020.