How Long Does it Take to Emotionally Recover from a Car Accident?
One of the reasons why your car accident compensation can be so substantial is that you have suffered effects of the crash beyond just the physical. The Vancouver car accident attorneys at Schauermann Thayer Injury Law will fight for you to get top dollars for all of your injuries, no matter the type.
Emotional distress and other mental health conditions often accompany your physical injuries. In fact, these conditions can remain with you long after your physical injuries have healed. You can be compensated for these injuries, but it is essential that you take steps to get treatment for them.
You must also take proactive steps to get control of your legal situation, and you can start by contacting Schauermann Thayer for a free case evaluation. Our car accident law firm in Vancouver can help by estimating the value of your damages and standing up for your right to be paid everything that you deserve.
Emotional Impacts Are Common After a Car Accident
You are likely dealing with a number of effects after you have been injured in a car accident. The physical injuries that you are living with are only part of what you are going through in the aftermath of the crash. You could also encounter emotional issues that can remain with you for a long time. This harm can be every bit as consequential as physical injuries. Even if you are getting professional help, emotional distress may not go away, and it can change the course of your life.
There is little denying that a car accident is a traumatic event. You may relive the moment of impact, or the immediate aftermath, for quite some time to come. In fact, the American Psychological Association reports that car accidents are one of the leading causes of posttraumatic stress disorder in the population. In fact, one book reported that “car accidents are the number one trauma for men and the second most frequent trauma for women.”
Not only may you deal with general depression and anxiety, but you could also struggle in situations that involve driving. Many people with car accident PTSD are afraid to drive completely, or they may have flashbacks when they are in similar circumstances in which the accident occurred.
Your Recovery Can Take a Long Time, if it Happens at All
Whether you can fully recover emotionally, and how long it takes to do so, all depends on you and your situation. Research into matter varies. Some researchers found that up to two-thirds of car accident victims no longer have PTSD thirty days after the accident, while others have noted that half of people who have PTSD after the crash are still dealing with the effects six months later. Some people may never fully recover from the emotional effects of the car accident,
How long your recovery takes could depend on a number of factors, including:
- The severity of the accident itself
- When you sought mental health care for any emotional issues
- Whether you had pre-existing issues with anxiety and depression before the accident
Even if you are proactive, and you take every step possible to recover emotionally, you may still never be what you were before the accident. If you have been involved in a serious crash, it is entirely normal to have certain fears and flashbacks.
If you have had previous mental health issues, you can still be compensated for the full extent of your emotional distress. After all, the rule in any personal injury case is that “you take your victim as you find them.”
The Insurance Company Is Going to Make Full Compensation Difficult
The insurance company is likely going to scrutinize what you did in the wake of the car accident to help yourself. You could not claim that you have suffered emotional distress without taking steps to get help for the situation. You would need to proactively seek help from a mental health professional. They would need to diagnose your emotional condition and make treatment notes that document what you are experiencing. Then, you must follow through with your care and the doctor’s treatment recommendations. If you did not do anything to help yourself, the insurance company may question your condition and whether you did anything to mitigate your own damages.
When you are able to prove that someone else is to blame for the car accident, they assume a legal responsibility to pay for all the damages that you have suffered. Emotional distress is a non-economic damage, and you must be compensated for it just the same as you would a financial loss. However, you must also be able to prove your damages to the insurance company, and they often go out of their way to minimize or deny what you claim. It is essential that you take every step possible to document your damages before you submit your claim or file a lawsuit.
Get Legal Help from a Washington Car Accident Lawyer Today
Reach out to the experienced Washington car accident lawyers at Schauermann Thayer to learn how we can help you pursue full compensation for your injuries. Our Vancouver auto accident law firm know how to play hardball with the insurance companies who seek to take away our clients’ legal rights. You can schedule a free initial consultation with one of our attorneys by calling us today at 360-818-2725. You pay us nothing upfront and nothing at all unless you win your case.
Sources:
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2003/12/accidents-ptsd
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2396820/
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/auto-accident/ptsd-car-accident/
