Managing Partner
People often associate post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, with soldiers, police officers, and others who routinely experience traumatic events. Although people involved in these professions are certainly highly susceptible to PTSD, this disorder reaches far beyond these high-stress professions. In fact, PTSD can affect any person who experiences a situation that causes emotional trauma and severe stress. In this article, we discuss PTSD after a car accident.
PTSD After Car Accident Symptoms
A car accident is a highly traumatic incident, leaving victims to cope with physical injuries and emotional stress. When a car accident victim’s symptoms of emotional trauma fail to subside within a month of the incident, he or she may be suffering from PTSD. A car accident victim suffering from PTSD may experience the following symptoms:
- Accident flashbacks
- Overwhelming emotions
- Sleep disturbances
- Severe anxiety
- Feelings of guilt
- Numbing of emotional response
- Depression
- Refusal or reluctance to operate a vehicle
- Irritability
As noted above, car accident victims may experience a wide range of emotions, including grief, confusion, fear, and guilt. In addition, not only do these symptoms affect the victim, but they can also have an impact on the victim’s friends and family.
Treatment for PTSD After Car Accident
There is no definite cure for PTSD. However, some prescription medications can help PTSD sufferers cope with the depression, anxiety, and mood disorders that stem from the condition. In addition, therapy, counseling, and relaxation techniques have been shown to help victims overcome the most extreme symptoms of the condition.
Compensation for PTSD After Car Accident
Following a car accident in the state of New York, a victim can file a personal injury lawsuit to obtain compensation for his or her damages, including those related to PTSD. Many car accident victims seek compensation for past losses, present losses, and future anticipated losses. Common car accident damages in a personal injury lawsuit include:
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Loss of quality of life
- Disability
The Bottom Line
If you are suffering from PTSD following a car accident, you may be entitled to damages stemming from the trauma if you can provide evidence that your PTSD was caused by the accident. As noted above, this may include compensation for past, present, and future damages for your accident-related PTSD.
Contact a Long Island Car Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident in New York, Dell & Dean, PLLC, is here to help. When you come to us for assistance with your car accident case, our Long Island car accident lawyers will provide you with compassionate service and aggressive representation, putting our experience and knowledge to work for you in pursuit of the successful resolution of your case. Please contact us to arrange a consultation with an experienced Long Island car accident lawyer.
