After being involved in a car accident, victims can sustain both physical and mental injuries. PTSD is a mental condition that sometimes develops in victims of auto accidents. If your PTSD stems from a car accident, you could recover compensation for your economic and noneconomic damages. Work with a Memphis car accident lawyer for more information and legal advice.
What is PTSD?
PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a psychological condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing an extremely terrifying or stressful event. PTSD is characterized by a variety of symptoms, including unwanted flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, confusion, memory loss, emotional numbness, and more.
Car accidents can be traumatic experiences, and victims sometimes develop mental conditions in response to the fear they endured, one of which is PTSD. For those who were involved in a car accident, PTSD can manifest as a fear of driving, heightened stress while in the car, nightmares, flashbacks to the collision, and more. While physical injuries resulting from a car accident are more obvious and visible, emotional damages are important and can have lasting effects on a victim’s life, from their ability to work to their social interactions and even their ability to perform daily tasks.
Can I Recover Compensation for PTSD After a Car Accident?
In many car accident cases, the main focus is on recovering compensation for physical injuries. However, state law recognizes the harm of psychological injuries and allows individuals to recover emotional damages.
To recover compensation for PTSD after a car accident, you must prove that your condition is directly linked to the crash and has resulted in significant emotional distress. Because PTSD is not visible, it can be difficult to prove and quantify. You will generally be required to provide medical evidence from a mental health professional, like a psychologist, who can diagnose PTSD and confirm that it originated as a result of the car crash.
Another important consideration is your ability to demonstrate how your condition has impacted your life. For example, PTSD can result in difficulty maintaining relationships, holding down a job, performing everyday activities, sleeping, etc. Testimonies from you, your family, close friends, your employer or coworkers, and more can help establish the toll PTSD has had on your life.
What Compensation Can I Receive?
If you can prove that your PTSD resulted from the car accident, you may be eligible to receive compensation for both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages associated with the disorder can include medical bills for therapy or counseling, lost wages, and other expenses.
Noneconomic damages are more difficult to calculate but can include compensation for emotional pain and suffering, the loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, and more. To learn more about your legal rights and options during this time, contact a skilled lawyer at Ballin, Ballin & Fishman, PC today.