In the aftermath of a sudden car crash, it’s natural to focus on your physical injuries. You might feel pain in your back or neck, you might suspect your arm is broken, or you may have lost consciousness due to hitting your head. Getting immediate treatment for these injuries is critical to your health and prognosis, and sometimes it means a lengthy treatment process.
Staying in the hospital, having surgery, visiting doctors, going to physical therapy, and trying to adjust to life with your your physical injuries can consume you. It is all too easy to neglect another important type of injury from your crash—mental trauma.
The attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, know that mental trauma from a car accident can disrupt your life in many ways. We’ve seen too many people struggle silently with mental trauma for too long before they decide to call us for assistance.
Proving mental injuries is not simple, and you need the right attorney who knows how to prove this type of claim. Our lawyers have represented clients with physical and mental car accident injuries for years, so call us right now at 1-800-898-4877 or contact us by clicking HERE to discuss your case for free.
Mental and Emotional Injuries
People often don’t pay nearly as much attention to their mental and emotional injuries from car accidents as they should. Reactions such as stress, shock, disorientation may be written off as non-trauma-related reasons, but in reality, car accidents and the resulting injuries regularly cause mental trauma to victims that needs proper treatment—just like physical injuries do.
One of the most common serious mental injuries following a car accident is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While this condition is often associated with military veterans, studies indicate that at least 9 percent of traffic accident survivors develop PTSD. When studying people who sought treatment after their crashes, an average of 60 percent received a PTSD diagnosis. These statistics indicate that following a car crash PTSD is much more common than many people may believe.
- Sudden, involuntary flashbacks of the accident
- Blackouts after violent flashbacks
- Terrifying and realistic nightmares
- Intense distress if you encounter any reminder of the crash
- Irrational fears of non-harmful events or objects
- Avoidance of any reminder of the crash, including cars themselves
- Withdrawal from family, friends, and coworkers
- Depression and anxiety
- Self-harm
Flashbacks can stop you in your tracks. They may prevent you from continuing to do whatever you were doing. Nightmares can cause insomnia, exhaustion, and other symptoms that hurt your productivity at work and a happy home life. Irrational avoidance may hinder your ability to engage in regular activities. These are only some of the potentially major effects of PTSD on your life.
It is also common for PTSD sufferers to develop other mental conditions. Research also shows that of the car accident survivors in treatment for PTSD, 15 percent suffered from a debilitating phobia of driving, and 27 percent suffered from anxiety disorder due to their crashes. These conditions often will not go away on their own.
Mental trauma after a car accident is particularly common in children. One study reported that about 34 percent of children who survive car accidents suffer serious mental trauma. The symptoms of that trauma can last a year or longer, and often times can hurt a child’s performance in school, socialization, family relationships, extracurricular activities, and more.
Treating Your Mental Trauma
Most people wouldn’t fracture a leg and refuse to go to the doctor—so why are so many people reluctant to treat mental injuries? Unfortunately, society often attaches a stigma to mental and emotional treatments—when in reality it is just another type of medical treatment that you may need in order to heal injuries you cannot see with the eye.
- Psychotherapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
- Exposure therapy
- Cognitive restructuring
- Psychiatric therapy
- Medication
- Occupational therapy
Your doctor will help determine what treatment is right for you. The sooner you begin tackling the mental trauma from your accident, the sooner you can move forward with your life!
Mental Trauma and Your Legal Claim
Car accident victims often have the right to file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit to get compensation for their losses—and this includes medical treatment. With the proper documentation from a medical professional, you may also get reimbursed for mental health treatment stemming from the crash as well!
Our attorneys know how to inquire about ALL of your injuries—physical and mental—to make sure you receive the FULL compensation you deserve for your medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering.
Don’t worry—we will hold confidential everything you tell us about your mental trauma and treatment.
We know how to use medical records, PTSD diagnosis, testimony from mental health professionals, and other evidence to prove the mental trauma our clients have suffered. The losses related to mental and emotional injuries can prove extensive, so never ignore them.
Hire the attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, who understands the reality of mental trauma after a crash and who will take every step of the way with you until you receive the payment you deserve.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer Who Knows How to Help You
The attorneys at Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, are nationally recognized personal injury and car accident lawyers who have protected the rights of injured victims for more than 20 years. After physical and/or mental car accident injuries, do not hesitate to call our office right away to schedule a free consultation! Because we take all of our personal injury cases on a contingent fee basis, you will not owe us a DIME unless we win your case. To schedule your initial case evaluation, call us today at (800) 898-4877 or contact us now by clicking HERE.
