What Is PTSD?

According to the American Psychiatric Association, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that often follows a traumatic event involving a serious injury, death, or the threat of death.

This condition presents with a multitude of symptoms. You may be suffering from PTSD if you:

Have unwanted and intrusive thoughts such as flashbacks, distressing dreams, or repeated memories that have you replaying the event repeatedly in your head.

Notice depressive symptoms, low mood, lack of interest in things you usually enjoy, or the inability to feel happiness since the accident. You may also notice trouble with memory or are experiencing ongoing and distorted negative thoughts about yourself or others such as fear, horror, anger, guilt, and shame.

Recognize hyperarousal and reactivity. You may be easily startled, have difficulty sleeping or relaxing, behave recklessly in a self-destructive manner, or are overly vigilant and suspicious in everyday situations.

Avoid talking about the accident or go out of your way to dodge reminders of it. These can include people, places, activities, situations, or objects that may trigger a memory of it.

If you are experiencing any of the above as a direct result of your car accident, you should seek treatment as soon as possible to get the proper medical treatment. Plus, having medical documentation of your PTSD will be needed later should you wish to sue the at-fault driver.

Treating PTSD After a Car Accident

The sooner you get proper medical treatment, the sooner you can begin your recovery process.

If you are formally diagnosed with PTSD after a car accident, your treatment regimen will likely involve some sort of therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is typically very effective. This may be used in tandem with other forms of therapy including relational, exposure, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

In addition, you may be prescribed certain medications such as mood stabilizers, antidepressants, or antipsychotics.

There’s no way to predict how long PTSD will last after a car accident. It will vary from person to person and depend on how soon you’re diagnosed, when treatment begins, and how effective the course of treatment is for you. For some, PTSD can have lasting effects that may never fully disappear.

Can You Get Compensation for PTSD?

If you choose to sue the driver who caused the accident, then yes, you may be able to claim both economic and noneconomic damages for your PTSD.

However, you’ll need to prove that someone else’s negligence caused or contributed to your PTSD. You’ll also need to demonstrate how PTSD is negatively impacting your life.

Economic damages include costs such as:

• Doctor appointments
• Medications
• Lost wages
• Ongoing medical treatments and therapies.

Noneconomic damages are harder to define but include:

• Physical pain and suffering
• Mental/emotional distress
• Loss of overall enjoyment of life
• Inability to live as you did previous to the accident

In accordance with Michigan’s Statute of Limitations, you must file your lawsuit within three years from the date of your accident. And while there is no limit on the amount of damages you can claim in a personal injury lawsuit in Michigan, it’s important to know that what you recover will depend on the at-fault person’s insurance policy limits.

This is why hiring the right attorney for car accident PTSD is crucial.

Don’t Ignore Your PTSD Symptoms

If you have developed PTSD after a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you need a team of experienced Michigan car accident lawyers fighting for you.

You need the attorneys at Kajy Law. They know exactly how to hold those at fault accountable to recover maximum damages.

So call 877-KAJY-CARES today. Or fill out our online form to get started with your free no-obligation consultation. And take one BIG stressor off your road to recovery.