Can You Sue for PTSD After a Car Accident?
Listen to this articleThere are many devastating consequences that a person has to experience after they have been in a car accident. There are the physical consequences caused by any injuries they suffered in the accident. There are also the financial effects of medical bills, repair bills, and lost wages. However, some of the more serious consequences that many people rarely think about are the emotional and psychological effects caused by the accident. The stress and trauma of the crash can leave deep emotional wounds that can take an even longer time to heal than the physical wounds.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the emotional and psychological consequences of a car accident. It requires extensive therapy to treat, which in turn requires a lot of money. You can get the money you need if you were not at fault for the accident because you can receive compensation from the insurance company of the negligent driver. That compensation can be used to pay for therapy sessions as well as medical bills and repair bills. You can even sue the at-fault driver for PTSD if you need to, but you will need the help of a lawyer if you want to pursue that option. If you live in California, then you can contact Riverside car accident attorney Morse to get the help you need.
What is PTSD?
PTSD is a psychiatric condition that affects people who have been in extremely stressful situations. It is most commonly associated with members of the military who have experienced combat, but it can affect anyone who has been in a severely stressful situation such as a mass shooting event, a terrorist attack, a natural or man-made disaster, a personal assault, or prolonged abuse of some kind. Those are extreme examples but PTSD can affect anyone who has been in any kind of intensely stressful situation, and that includes car accidents.
PTSD causes people to have intense emotional reactions because of the traumatic event they experienced. They may have disturbing thoughts about the event, they may experience flashbacks to the trauma that makes them feel as if they are experiencing it all over again. People with PTSD may also have trouble sleeping or they might have nightmares if they do fall asleep. PTSD can also cause them to have relationship problems with the people who are close to them because they may feel emotionally detached and alone.
PTSD can also alter a person’s demeanor and make them more paranoid or increase their risk-taking behavior. The various symptoms of PTSD must persist for over a month before someone can receive that diagnosis. Those symptoms may not necessarily manifest immediately after the event, sometimes it can take weeks, months, or even years before the person starts to experience them.
Suing for PTSD
It is possible to sue for PTSD after a car accident but it can be difficult. The reason is that since PTSD is a mental condition, it is not as easy to prove as a physical condition, like an injury. You will need to prove that your PTSD diagnosis is accurate and that it was directly caused by the car accident. That means you will need the testimony of expert witnesses such as licensed medical professionals, therapists, psychiatrists, or other experts in mental health.
If you are going to sue for PTSD, then you will also need an experienced personal injury lawyer who can develop and present a solid case as to why you deserve to be compensated for your emotional trauma. They should also be able to calculate what your PTSD case is worth since it is harder to do that for mental damages than it is for physical ones. Once you have all of those factors in play, you can sue for PTSD and have a reasonable chance of being successful.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney if You Are Going to Sue for PTSD
A PTSD lawsuit is not easy because there is no immediate evidence of the condition the way there is with a physical injury. However, doing so can be extremely important because PTSD can be just as debilitating as a physical injury. A PTSD lawsuit can also be important because people generally do not pay enough attention to the mental trauma associated with car accidents, only the physical effects.
By suing for PTSD you will be able to highlight the fact that mental health is just as important to a person’s wellbeing as their physical health is. So make sure to contact a personal injury attorney if you plan to sue for PTSD.
