If you are involved in an auto collision, you may find that in the days and weeks that follow, it can take a toll on your mental health. Unfortunately, car accidents are a leading cause of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for Americans, so understanding the symptoms is critical to ensuring you seek the correct help. If you are unsure what PTSD entails or you want to know if you can seek financial compensation for the suffering you’ve endured, you’ll want to keep reading. The following blog and our Baltimore County car accident attorneys can help you understand your legal options.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD is a mental disorder that can develop in those who have witnessed or endured traumatic, stressful, or terrifying events in their lives. Examples of things that can cause PTSD include car accidents, natural disasters, abuse, and assault, among other events. This disorder can often be disruptive, if not completely debilitating, for those who receive a develop it.
It’s important to understand that the symptoms of PTSD will not be the same for everyone, as they can vary based on a number of circumstances like the kind of event that occurred, your role in the event, how you proceeded after the event, and your brain chemistry. However, understanding the common symptoms is critical to ensure you can receive the help you need if you are involved in an accident and believe you may have PTSD as a result. As such, the following are among the most common symptoms:
- Vivid flashbacks
- Intense, intrusive, or obsessive thoughts about the event
- Nightmares
- Difficulty sleeping
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Mood changes
It’s also incredibly common for those who have been through a traumatic event to engage in avoidance behavior. Essentially, those who are involved in traumatic events will avoid things that remind them of the accident, like driving or walking down a certain street to avoid triggers. They may even avoid talking about the event or how they feel.
Can I Fight for Emotional Damages?
As you can see, PTSD can have a considerable impact on your life. That’s why it’s important to understand your rights if you receive a diagnosis following a car accident caused by the negligence of another person. Generally, when you pursue a claim against another driver for their negligence, you can seek both economic and non-economic damages. While economic damages are easier to calculate as they represent matters like medical bills or lost income, non-economic damages are much harder to calculate. These reflect non-tangible losses, like pain and suffering or humiliation, so they are subjective to value.
One way to calculate these damages is for the court to assign a number, typically on a scale from 1.5 to 5, to your suffering based on the severity and impact on your life. The court will then multiply this number by your economic award. For example, if the court grants you $100,000 in economic damages and values your suffering at a 4, you would win $400,000 in non-economic damages in addition to the tangible losses.
Fighting for the compensation you deserve can be incredibly overwhelming, especially when you’re suffering emotionally and physically. That’s why the team at the Law Offices of Markey & Orsi will do everything possible to help you recover the compensation you deserve. If you need help, our firm is here. Contact us today to learn how we can fight for you.
