Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a debilitating mental health condition that arises after a car crash in Minnesota. Traumatic events can have a lasting impact on a survivor’s mental state. If you suffer from PTSD following a car accident in Minnesota, you may be eligible for financial compensation for this type of emotional injury.
What Is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a diagnosable psychiatric condition that arises in some accident survivors due to mental trauma. PTSD can develop if an individual witnesses or lives through a frightening, traumatic or dangerous event. This can include serious car accidents, where the victim was directly involved or witnessed a loved one die or get seriously injured.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of PTSD After a Car Accident?
PTSD can be extremely difficult to live with in the aftermath of a severe car accident. The symptoms of PTSD can affect many aspects of the victim’s life, including the ability to drive, work and engage in normal daily activities. It can contribute to other mental health conditions, as well, such as chronic anxiety and depression.
Although every individual is unique, commonly shared symptoms among car accident survivors with PTSD include:
- Intrusive thoughts
- Flashbacks
- Reliving the event
- Nightmares
- Insomnia or trouble sleeping
- Hypervigilance or hyperarousal
- Negative thoughts or feelings
- Feelings of despair or hopelessness
- Withdrawal or isolation
- Fear of a certain place or thing
- Avoidance of triggers
How long the symptoms of PTSD last depends on the person. Some cases are resolved within a couple of weeks, while others endure for months or even years. For a car accident victim to be officially diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, symptoms typically must persist for longer than one month.
Coping With PTSD After a Car Accident
While PTSD can be an immense struggle, the good news is that it is highly treatable. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a completely normal outcome of living through a traumatic car crash in Minnesota. It is not something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about.
Talk to your health care provider about what you are experiencing. They may recommend recovery tools and treatments such as emotional support, therapy, psychiatric care, medications, self-care and relaxation training to cope with your mental trauma and heal.
Can You Sue for PTSD After a Car Accident?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a compensable type of damage or loss under Minnesota’s personal injury laws. It falls under the category of “pain and suffering” or non-economic damages. This category also includes emotional distress, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and physical pain.
To receive financial compensation for your PTSD after a car accident, you may need assistance from an attorney. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you gather evidence to prove your mental health condition, such as medical records and witness statements.
A lawyer can also help you navigate Minnesota’s unique no-fault law, which may limit your options to a first-party claim only, depending on the circumstances. If someone else is at fault for your crash and it caused severe injuries, however, you likely have the right to bring a claim against this party. Contact the lawyers at Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC, to begin your PTSD case with a free consultation.