PTSD often develops because crashes occur quickly and without warning, creating the sense of a sudden threat. In the seconds before a collision, you may fear you or your loved ones will be seriously hurt. You may also experience a loss of control and sensory overload due to the noise of vehicles colliding, people screaming, and glass breaking.
Your brain often cannot properly process all these emotions and sensations, so the memory of the accident isn’t filed away and stored like ordinary memories. Instead, you may find yourself forced to relive the incident and trapped in the fear.
This can have serious consequences for your physical and mental health, and those who caused your accident and the resulting PTSD can often be held accountable for the damages. Diaco Law can help you pursue a claim for compensation for your emotional and physical harm, so call us or contact us online today.
You can speak with our car accident lawyers in Tampa experienced in PTSD claims to learn what we can do for you, or you can also read on to learn more about common PTSD symptoms following a car crash.
What are some Common PTSD Symptoms after a Car Accident?
PTSD can cause many symptoms that affect your quality of life, your ability to work, and your ability to engage in routine life activities. Some of the most common PTSD symptoms include:
- Feeling constant anxiety
- Experiencing vivid flashbacks without warning that make you feel like you are reliving the car accident
- Having recurring nightmares about the crash
- Experiencing intrusive thoughts
- Emotional numbness or a feeling of disconnection from loved ones
- Irritability
- Unexpected anger
- Sudden mood changes
- Avoidance behaviors such as refusing to drive in a vehicle, to travel near where the accident happened, or to travel on certain types of roads such as highways or country roads that trigger memories
- Sleep disturbances
- Increased heart rate when something reminds you about the accident
- Chronic fatigue
- Headaches
- Muscle tension
- An exaggerated startle response
- Nausea
- Challenges concentrating
- Hypervigilance (obsessing over potential dangers)
- Feeling unsafe when there is no obvious threat
Sometimes, these symptoms last for years. You may have difficulty overcoming them even with proper medical support, and they can affect every aspect of your daily life.
Obtaining Compensation for PTSD
If you have developed post-traumatic stress disorder due to a car accident, you may be able to recover compensation from the driver who caused the crash, or from other third parties who are liable for your losses.
Compensation for a collision typically includes payment for medical bills, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. PTSD can result in expensive medical bills, affect your ability to work and earn a living, and cause you to experience both physical and emotional pain.
However, because Florida is a no-fault state, you will need to show your injuries were serious enough to justify pursuing a claim against the other driver.
Diaco Law can help you to determine if you meet the required threshold for serious injuries and will work with you to prove the extent of your losses with the goal of being fully and fairly compensated.
Contact a Florida Car Accident Lawyer Today if You are Experiencing PTSD
A Florida car accident lawyer at Diaco Law can help you prove how your PTSD symptoms affect your future so you can recover the maximum compensation possible. Just give us a call or contact us online today to schedule your free consultation to find out how we can put our decades of experience to work fighting for you.