How Does a Car Accident Affect You Emotionally?

By now, you know that if you experience a significant car accident, you run the risk of suffering severe physical injuries. Unfortunately, you may also encounter emotional damages that lead to numerous problems as you try to recover from the accident.

Emotional damages are sometimes worse than the physical injuries you sustain. As such, you should recognize the various ways you may endure emotional damages, how it impacts your potential claim, and what you can do to cope with your mental trauma moving forward in your recovery.

Below, we’ll explain the following to help you understand your rights:

• How Emotional Damages Occur in a Car Accident
• What Emotional Damages Mean for Your Claim and Compensation
• Coping Mechanisms for Mental Trauma After a Crash

Call our firm today at (601) 265-6869 to discuss your potential case with a skilled lawyer.

How Emotional Damages Occur in a Car Accident

A car accident is just like any traumatic incident. It can easily create triggers within you that remind you of your crash for many years to come. Like any traumatic incident, you may experience post-traumatic stress disorder and it can last a lifetime.

When you think of an accident, you can easily see how they impact you. The loud noises from the collision, the horns blaring, the tires screeching, and more. These are quick reminders of just how severe a crash can be, and they’ll quickly cause symptoms that can change how you live your life.

For instance, post-traumatic stress after an accident can cause you to experience the following:

• Fear and anxiety any time you hear or see a trigger from your accident
• Reduced quality of life causing loss of enjoyment—for instance, you may never want to get in a vehicle again

Unfortunately, it’s easy for all of these problems to arise after an accident. Every crash can cause fear and you may constantly be reminded of the pain you endure, leaving you in a difficult situation moving forward. If you experience any additional symptoms associated with your mental trauma, make sure you document them all and discuss with your medical care provider.

What Emotional Damages Mean for Your Claim and Compensation

When a crash occurs, most people think of their physical damages and nothing more. You may suffer severe harm, such as broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spine injuries, broken bones, and more. As such, it’s easy to think of compensation for your medical bills, property damage, and lost income following your crash.

However, in an accident where emotional trauma arises, you may also pursue compensation for your emotional damages. However, in order to recover compensation for your emotional damages, you must prove without doubt that your car accident led to you experiencing post-traumatic stress or other mental trauma. You need to have a professional diagnosis that details your trauma from the accident.

It’s difficult to calculate emotional damages in a car accident, so it’s impossible to explain just how much you may recover. Speaking with a lawyer and working with a professional can help you maximize the compensation you recover for your emotional trauma, as well as your physical damages.

Coping Mechanisms for Mental Trauma After a Crash

In many situations, the ways you cope with PTSD can cost you countless amounts of money, which is why it’s so important to pursue compensation after a crash. However, you should know all of the possible ways to cope with mental trauma so you can move forward with the best possible quality of life.

Here are some of the ways you can cope with PTSD after a car accident:

• Therapy: You can go through therapy to talk about your accident and the mental trauma you endure. However, there are multiple types of therapy you may go through. First, you can go through avoidance therapy to learn how to avoid triggers. Second, you may go face your trauma head on, finding out what causes your triggers, and dealing with them head-on.
• The RAIN Method: RAIN stands for Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Non-Defining. It means you recognize that your trauma exists, allow life to be however it is after a crash, investigate why your triggers occur, and not let it define who you are as a person.
• Support systems: Having people you can discuss your trauma with gives you the support you need. Make sure you have people you can call should you experience a trigger, fear, or anxiety.
• A List of Outs: Have ways that you can exit a situation where you may experience a trigger that causes significant problems. For instance, know when to leave a situation or breathing exercises if you hear a loud collision.

Enduring a car accident is never easy. Fortunately, you have rights that allow you to hold the negligent party responsible for the injuries you sustain, including the mental trauma you experience. The steps you take after a crash can help you move through the legal process successfully with your best interests in mind.

At 'MAGGIO LAW, we’ll put your needs first. We go above and beyond when it matters most because we know how much you need compensation. Trust in us to be your voice at every turn, safeguarding your right to compensation. We are not afraid of large insurance companies and their legal teams, and we’ll fight for you when it matters most.

Schedule your free consultation with our firm today. We’ll be here to help you understand your rights. Call us today at (601) 265-6869 to protect your rights.