Car accidents can leave us battered and bruised, both physically and emotionally. While the wounds to our body may heal fast, the damage done to our minds can last much longer. One study found that 25-33 percent of people who survive a serious motor vehicle accident suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at least 30 days after the crash.
Emotional distress after a car accident can include nightmares, finding it hard to relax, and a fear of driving – among many other symptoms. Yet, the good news is that resources are available to move you beyond these unsettling feelings. Additionally, seeking justice with help from a law firm dedicated to pursuing fast results can give you the financial stability you need for your physical injuries and psychological condition to be treated.
Join us as we explore why car accidents are so traumatic and how you can pursue the support and compensation you need as fast as possible.
The Emotional Impact of Car Accidents
No two car accidents are exactly alike, and no two car accident victims have exactly the same emotional response. It’s natural to experience a flood of emotions, including anger, fear, and mood changes. If you survived a crash in which others lost their lives, you may experience intense grief and also battle accident survivor’s guilt.
While it’s completely normal for anyone to experience emotional distress after a car crash, beware of emotional trauma that causes you prolonged suffering. Your daily functioning, including your work and family life, could be affected. People who suffer severe emotional injuries that result in long-term conditions and phobias may be entitled to compensation from the negligent party.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that frequently occurs after experiencing a traumatic event that involves serious injury, death, or threatened death to yourself or others.
Car accident survivors may experience a wide range of PTSD symptoms, including:
- Reliving the trauma: This may take the form of intrusive thoughts or distressing dreams about the crash
- Avoidance strategies: Refusal to think about the accident, reluctance or refusal to drive, or refusing to face situations related to the accident
- Numbness: You may feel detached from others or experience a reduction in or absence of emotions
- Heightened physical arousal: Hypervigilance, being easily startled, disturbed sleep, and irritability can all be associated with post-traumatic stress disorder
Additionally, many people with PTSD experience ongoing pain and suffering. At the same time, the trauma could also be linked to physical injuries, so work with medical professionals from both the physical and mental health fields to access the treatment you need.
Treatment for PTSD can include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as well as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR). In any case, it’s natural to want fast results, but recovery may take time. There is no fixed timeline for recovery.
Survivor’s guilt
Some car accident survivors experience intense feelings of guilt when they survive a car crash. While this condition was previously listed as an associated symptom of PTSD, it was removed from the list in 2013. Guilt can be associated with anxiety disorders and complicated grief.
Symptoms can include:
- Psychological distress
- Situational anxiety
- Visual hallucinations
- Flashbacks
The positive takeaway is that survivor’s guilt can be treated with therapies such as CBT.
If you are experiencing ongoing mental trauma following your motor vehicle accident, the resources and support mentioned below may give you the help you need fast. Additionally, a personal injury lawyer may be able to direct you to a local mental health professional who can provide diagnosis and treatment.
Resources and Support After a Car Accident
After a car accident, it’s crucial to seek immediate medical attention. Even if you feel fine right after your collision, physical symptoms and intense emotions may emerge in the hours and days afterward. Additionally, healthcare professionals are well-placed to help you connect with mental health services in your area that can provide effective support.
If you are based in Connecticut, the following services could help you connect with the emotional support you need as fast as possible after a car crash.
Crisis services
If you are facing a mental health crisis after your car accident, seek help fast. You have options to:
- Call 911: If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call the police at 911 and explain this is a psychiatric emergency
- Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call 988 or text 988
- Call the Action Line: Adults in crisis can call 1-800-HOPE-135 (1-800.467.3135), 24/7, 365 days a year. Children under 18 can call 2-1-1
- Text a crisis counselor: Text “CT” to 741-741. You will get connected to a live crisis counselor who will provide free, 24/7 support via text message
Connecting with a mental health professional in Connecticut
Since 2000, all health insurance policies in Connecticut have been required to cover mental health benefits.
The CT Insurance Department provides the following advice for accessing mental health services in Connecticut:
- Check out what is covered in your insurance plan and how to access the care you need
- Make an informed decision
- Contact your insurer first to learn about in-network providers
Don’t delay in seeking the mental health support you need. An experienced lawyer can talk you through whether you can claim medical expenses as part of a fair settlement for your accident.
Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS)
The local Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) has a wide range of resources to support Connecticut residents facing mental health and addiction challenges.
One of its core programs that could support people who have suffered emotional trauma after a car accident is its Trauma Initiative. This program is specifically designed for men and women who have been through psychological trauma.
DMHAS also maintains an alphabetical listing of mental health service providers throughout Connecticut. They may also be able to direct you to mental health services if you do not have health insurance.
Mental Health Connecticut (MHC)
Mental Health Connecticut (MHC) is an affiliate of Mental Health America that works with individuals and families to create environments that support their long-term well-being. They run wellness programs that provide pathways to better mental health and maintain a directory of mental health resources.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a non-profit organization that works with Connecticut residents who are affected by mental illness. It has nine local affiliates and provides support groups and educational programs at no cost. NAMI also has helpful articles and other resources that can support you as you work through your emotional trauma.
How to Seek Justice for Your Emotional Trauma
We all want justice as fast as possible after a traumatic motor vehicle accident. We might expect to get faster results if we file a claim with the insurance company and let them calculate what they consider to be fair compensation. While this may yield fast results, their initial offer is unlikely to be fair or sufficient for your long-term needs.
The disadvantage of settling too soon with the insurance companies
Remember, the insurance company will try to get you to accept a low settlement as fast as possible. They are primarily interested in protecting the company’s bottom line, rather than ensuring you get the proper compensation for your emotional trauma. If you go it alone, the price you pay for a fast settlement may be inadequate compensation for your actual needs.
The advantage of hiring a fast-working and experienced attorney
If you hire a personal injury lawyer, he or she can calculate fair compensation for everything you have suffered due to your car accident. The attorney understands that you need results fast and will use all resources at his or her disposal to seek fair compensation that can come as fast as possible.
Unlike insurance companies, personal injury lawyers are committed to getting the best result for you. This is why it pays to work with a law firm with extensive experience in fighting and winning car accident cases, including those that resulted in severe mental anguish.
How Lawyers Calculate Fair Compensation for Mental Trauma
It can be hard to quantify the mental and emotional suffering a person experiences after a car accident. It involves more than calculating the cost of treatment and the time you spend away from work. However, in Connecticut, you have the right to seek non-economic damages for the emotional toll your accident and injuries have taken on your life.
An experienced attorney can talk you through the type of evidence needed to build a strong case for proper compensation for the emotional trauma you have endured.
Medical records
It’s possible that some of the physical symptoms you have experienced since your accident may be linked to emotional trauma. These could include migraines, ulcers, high blood pressure, sleeping difficulties, and weight loss.
Your medical records may also highlight your struggles with chronic pain. Persistent pain can also be a symptom of PTSD, with around 15 to 35 percent of people with chronic pain also having PTSD. Chronic pain can also cause severe emotional trauma, with up to 100 percent of patients with chronic pain also developing depression.
The medical treatment you have received for these aftereffects of your accident could strengthen your claim to compensation for the pain and suffering caused by your car accident.
Therapist files
If you sought treatment from a mental health professional (such as a therapist) after your car accident, his or her records could prove invaluable. These may include a psychological diagnosis that is linked directly to the emotional trauma you suffered as a result of your accident.
Expert witness
A personal injury lawyer may work with a mental health expert witness to accurately assess the emotional impact of your car accident. This could help you pursue a fair settlement that takes all your suffering into account. An expert witness can also be called upon to testify in court if your case goes to trial.
Personal journals
A post-accident pain journal can help you by recording how you feel each day after the car accident. As well as writing down your physical pain, be sure to log any emotional difficulties you have experienced and how these affect your daily life.
Let Gould Injury Law Seek Fast Results for You
The emotional injuries inflicted in a car accident can leave invisible scars that take much time to heal. Yet, you can rest assured that these scars are not insignificant to the compassionate and experienced personal injury lawyers at Gould Injury Law.
Over the years, we have fought and won many car accident cases on behalf of our clients. Our lawyers understand that the impact of a car crash can go far beyond the initial broken bones and bruises.
If we take on your car accident case, we will fight tenaciously to recover fair compensation by working through the legal process as fast as possible. At the same time, our priority will be to meet your long-term needs for your physical injuries and mental health.
Do not delay in seeking justice. Talk about your emotional distress with the dedicated lawyers at “The Fast Firm” today. Call 888-WIN-FAST or fill out our contact form, and we will get back to you fast.
