Can you get PTSD from a car accident? Yes. A serious crash can be traumatic enough to lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, although only a qualified mental health professional can determine whether your symptoms meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.
If another driver caused the crash, a Fairfax car accident lawyer can also help you understand whether the psychological effects of the accident can form part of your injury claim.
BenGlassLaw has recovered more than $100 million in claims and benefits for clients. We understand that an injury after a crash is not always something you can see on an X-ray, and psychological symptoms can have a very real effect on your work, relationships, and everyday life.
What Can PTSD After a Car Accident Feel Like?
Feeling shaken after a frightening collision does not automatically mean you have PTSD. Some people feel nervous, upset, or reluctant to drive for a while and gradually begin to feel more like themselves again.
PTSD is different. The National Institute of Mental Health explains that symptoms generally fall into several groups and must persist for at least one month to meet the diagnostic criteria.
Someone experiencing PTSD after a car accident may deal with:
- Intrusive symptoms: unwanted memories, nightmares, or feeling as though the crash is happening again
- Avoidance: staying away from driving, certain roads, or other reminders of the collision
- Changes in mood or thinking: guilt, fear, withdrawal from other people, or loss of interest in things you previously enjoyed
- Arousal and reactivity: difficulty sleeping, feeling constantly on edge, problems concentrating, or being easily startled
The symptoms will not look exactly the same for everyone. BenGlassLaw looks at how the condition affects your particular life rather than assuming every person experiences trauma in the same way.
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When Should You Seek Help for Symptoms After a Crash?
You do not need to diagnose yourself. If fear, nightmares, anxiety, sleep problems, or other changes are continuing or interfering with your daily life, talk to a healthcare or mental health professional.
That is important for your health first. Treatment may include psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of approaches depending on what your provider recommends.
Seeking appropriate care can also create a medical record of what you have been experiencing. If you later bring a car accident PTSD claim, BenGlassLaw can use those records alongside the other evidence in your case to show how the crash affected you.
How Do You Prove PTSD in a Car Accident Claim?
There is no scan that simply shows someone has PTSD. Instead, the evidence usually comes from the diagnosis, treatment records, and what changed in your life after the accident.
Medical records can show when you first reported symptoms, what your provider observed, and what treatment was recommended. Employment records may also matter if your condition caused you to miss work or made it difficult to carry out your usual job.
Other people may notice changes too. A spouse, relative, friend, or colleague may be able to describe differences in your sleep, mood, social life, or ability to travel after the crash. BenGlassLaw can look at all of that evidence together rather than relying on one document to tell the whole story.
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What if You Already Had Anxiety Before the Accident?
Having a mental health condition before a crash does not necessarily prevent you from recovering damages if the accident made that condition worse.
Virginia’s civil jury instructions recognize claims involving the aggravation of a pre-existing condition. The important question is what changed because of the accident rather than whether you had ever experienced anxiety or another condition before.
This makes your earlier and later medical records particularly useful. BenGlassLaw can compare them to help show whether your symptoms became more severe, required additional treatment, or began affecting parts of your life differently after the collision.
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What Compensation Can Include PTSD After a Car Accident?
If another driver’s negligence caused the crash and your PTSD is connected to it, the psychological injury may be considered alongside your physical injuries and other losses.
Depending on your situation, a claim could include the cost of counseling or psychiatric care, medication, income lost because you could not work, and future treatment that your providers reasonably expect you to need.
Pain and suffering may also reflect the personal effects of the injury. For example, someone who previously drove every day but can no longer get behind the wheel without severe symptoms may experience a very different impact from someone whose condition affects them in another way. BenGlassLaw builds the claim around what has actually changed for you.
How Long Do You Have to Bring a Car Accident Claim in Virginia?
Virginia generally gives you two years to bring a personal injury action. For an ordinary car accident injury claim, that period usually runs from the date you were injured.
There are exceptions that can change the deadline in particular circumstances, so it is safer to check the date that applies to your case rather than assuming you have the full two years.
The deadline is not the only reason to act reasonably quickly. Medical documentation, photographs, witness information, and other evidence can become harder to obtain over time. BenGlassLaw can keep track of the legal deadline while you continue focusing on treatment.
Do You Have to Finish PTSD Treatment Before Starting a Claim?
No. You can speak with a lawyer while you are still receiving treatment.
In fact, it may take time before your healthcare providers know how long your symptoms are likely to last. Settling too early can create a problem if you later discover that you need considerably more treatment than you expected.
A lawyer does not need to rush you through that process. BenGlassLaw can begin investigating the accident and dealing with the insurance issues while your doctors continue monitoring your recovery.
How BenGlassLaw Can Help With a PTSD Claim After a Fairfax Crash
Psychological injuries can be harder to explain to an insurance company because there may be no photograph or scan that captures what you are experiencing. That does not make the symptoms insignificant.
BenGlassLaw can gather the medical evidence, document how the condition has affected your work and daily life, investigate who caused the crash, and handle discussions with the insurance company. Our firm has recovered more than $100 million in claims and benefits for past clients.
We handle personal injury cases on a straight one-third contingency fee, and that percentage does not increase simply because the case goes into litigation. Contact BenGlassLaw for a free consultation if you want to understand whether PTSD after a car accident could form part of your claim.
Call (703) 591-9829 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form