Seeking compensation following a Georgia car accident can not only help you financially recover from physical injuries. It can also compensate you for post-traumatic stress. However, to recover damages for PTSD, you must also have suffered bodily injuries. You have to demonstrate that another driver carelessly caused the accident and the physical injuries that led to your post-traumatic stress. This can be a challenging task, but an experienced car accident attorney can help.
At Spiva Law Group, our Georgia car accident lawyers understand what it takes to build a strong claim that can help you seek compensation for a PTSD diagnosis. Our legal team is committed to aggressively demanding the justice you deserve and fighting to protect your legal rights following an accident.
If you are concerned about pursuing an injury claim with a PTSD diagnosis after a Georgia car accident, contact our office and request a free legal consultation. We can review your situation and help you understand your options for seeking money for your injuries and other losses.
How Do I Know If I Have PTSD After a Car Accident?
It’s a common misconception that PTSD primarily affects survivors of sexual assault, military combat, and similarly violent experiences. Car accidents aren’t so frequently mentioned as potential sources of PTSD. However, research suggests that individuals involved in significant motor vehicle accidents are at an increased risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder as well.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by an extreme or terrifying event. Those who have experienced traumatic events can have difficulties mentally coping with what they have experienced, leading to challenges in managing daily tasks. One of the many difficulties with PTSD and car accidents is that the signs of PTSD often do not manifest until months later.
Diagnosing PTSD is more complicated than checking off symptoms from a list. Typically, a person cannot get a positive PTSD diagnosis from a medical professional unless they exhibit specific symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event.
Common symptoms of PTSD fall into four major categories:
- Intrusion: Flashbacks to the event, recurrent and unwanted memories of the event, or nightmares about the event
- Avoidance: Avoiding the location of the event, talking or thinking about the event, or activities and people that remind you of the event
- Changes in reactions: Becoming easily startled or frightened, developing feelings of guilt or shame, changes in sleeping habits, changes in eating habits, having trouble concentrating, or engaging in self-destructive behaviors
- Changes in feelings: Hopelessness, feeling emotionally numb, lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed, detachment from family and friends, difficulty maintaining relationships, memory problems, negative thoughts about yourself and others, or difficulty expressing positive emotions
Any time you experience a shift in your mood or way of thinking following a car crash, you should seek help from a mental health professional – especially if you are increasingly feeling depressed, anxious, or suicidal. Sometimes, it can be hard to evaluate your own experiences and mental health. Rely on the help of family and friends. If you know someone who has survived a car accident and is experiencing significant changes in mood or behavior, encourage them to seek help.
How Do I Prove the Accident Caused My PTSD?
Proving that a Georgia car accident caused your PTSD can be challenging. Insurers do not always take claims of invisible injuries like PTSD seriously when calculating the value of a car accident claim. Since symptoms of PTSD may not manifest for months after the event, this poses even more challenges when attempting to recover fair compensation for your mental health injuries.
It takes extensive evidence to substantiate a link between the traumatic car wreck and a PTSD diagnosis. Some of the vital evidence needed to help support your claim and establish causation includes:
- Medical records
- Documentation of symptoms
- Witness statements
- Expert testimony of medical and mental health professionals
- Documentation of how the diagnosis impacts your personal and professional life
Proving a car accident caused a PTSD diagnosis takes a comprehensive and well-documented approach. An experienced attorney can help collect and preserve the evidence needed to build a compelling claim and establish how the crash led to PTSD.
What If I Wasn’t Physically Injured?
Post-traumatic stress disorder can be a debilitating mental health condition that impacts every facet of your life. However, it can be challenging to recover compensation for invisible injuries like PTSD – and it’s likely impossible without physical injuries. Georgia law draws the line at allowing an individual to recover compensation for strictly “emotional injuries.” You must prove you suffered physical harm in addition to mental injuries to recover meaningful compensation. Most insurance companies will deny a mental health compensation claim in the absence of physical injuries or wounds.
What Compensation Might I Be Able to Receive for My PTSD?
The effects of PTSD may be invisible, but the condition can cause significant issues and require medical treatment.
Compensation for a PTSD diagnosis following a car accident could include money for:
- Medical expenses, including medication, therapy, and rehabilitation
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of quality of life
How Long Do I Have to File a Case for My PTSD in Georgia?
The other driver’s car insurance company may be resistant to compensating you for PTSD. Sometimes, a personal injury lawsuit is the best option for pursuing the money you need. Georgia law gives you two years from the accident date to file a car accident lawsuit against another party.
Contact a Georgia Car Accident Lawyer
Recovering from a car accident can be a lengthy and involved process. When this recovery includes treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, frequently reliving the experience in your mind can make healing that much more challenging. The Georgia car accident attorneys at Spiva Law Group are prepared to advocate for you and tenaciously pursue the compensation you deserve for all your injuries, including PTSD. Contact our office right away to set up a free legal consultation.
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