PTSD After a Car Accident
Every person will have a different psychological response to traumatic events. Can you suffer from PTSD after a car accident? The short answer is yes.
In this article, you will learn what PSTD is, some symptoms that may point to PTSD, and what legal rights you may have if you suffered from PTSD after a car accident. If you or a loved one in Nevada suffers from PTSD from a car accident, contact a Las Vegas auto accident attorney from our firm to schedule your free, confidential case evaluation.
What is PTSD?
When most hear “PTSD,” they correlate it to soldiers returning from war. However, PTSD isn’t just for soldiers. PTSD is an acronym that stands for post-traumatic stress disorder. Typically, if we are startled or scared due to an event, our brains can switch from survival mode to restorative mode, eventually relaxing us.
If the event is traumatic enough, the brain doesn’t switch out of survival mode, causing the survivor to stay in that “fight or flight” survival mode. Traumatic events cause PTSD. Such traumatic events like being involved in a war, abusive relationships, severe injuries, and even car accidents. Certain events, like car accidents, will cause distress for everyone involved, but how can you tell if you’re distressed or if it’s PTSD?
What are the Symptoms of PTSD After a Car Accident?
A few common symptoms may point to you suffering from PTSD rather than just being distressed. Psychological symptoms must remain for weeks or months after the traumatic event to generally be considered PTSD. Some symptoms may include being overly irritable, having flashbacks of the event, avoiding reminders of the event, and going as far as changing your lifestyle or habits to avoid reminders, depression or feelings of misplaced guilt, and nightmares of the event. If these seem familiar after the accident, you may struggle with PTSD.
Can PTSD Be a Successful Personal Injury Claim in Nevada?
The short answer is yes. PTSD is considered an emotional injury. This injury can be a successful injury claim; however, it must be proven. PTSD affects a person on a level that those around them can notice. Therefore, witness testimony is acceptable in proving an emotional injury. Any documentation of therapy and prescribed medications are acceptable evidence in proving your emotional injury. Any documentation that this emotional injury was directly caused by the accident would be helpful for your case in Nevada.
How Can a Lawyer Help if You Have PTSD Because of an Accident?
A Las Vegas personal injury lawyer can help manage all the paperwork and ensure you’re prepared for your claim. A successful claim may involve records from before your accident to prove the accident is the cause of your emotional injury. Your lawyer will also deal with the other driver and insurance to help you get the compensation you deserve. This alleviates your stress so that you can focus on therapy and healing.
You may have valuable legal rights that need to be protected. A lawyer can help with that. Contact our Nevada location now to schedule your free, confidential case evaluation.