Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD can happen in many ways such as following a car accident. Surveys reveal that many car crash survivors can suffer from PTSD. If you have been in this kind of accident and are worried that you might have this condition, it is best to know the common signs and symptoms of PTSD. Should you be diagnosed with this condition, it may be time to pursue compensation for it with the help of Philadelphia, PA car accident attorneys.
How to Know You Have PTSD
After a car accident, you must know that a lot of injuries do not show up immediately. But there may be some acute traumatic injuries that can be noticed right away. These include discolored or broken bones, spinal cord trauma, laceration, and bruising. Usually, emotional and psychological trauma doesn’t manifest until weeks or months following an accident.
Some risk factors increase your chances of developing PTSD. These include previous traumatic events, a lack of emotional support after a traumatic accident, a family history of psychological issues, and previous psychological adjustment problems.
After a car crash, you must watch out for symptoms such as fear, confusion, helplessness, guilt, and shock. Such feelings are normal right after an accident, but they should disappear over time. Otherwise, they could indicate that you have PTSD. This condition can cause you to experience additional symptoms including intrusive memories or thoughts, avoidance behaviors, and negative mood or thinking changes.
Pursuing Compensation for PTSD
If you have suffered from PTSD because of a car accident, you may be eligible for different kinds of compensation that cover your losses. A big part of the compensation goes towards your economic losses such as medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. But you could also be eligible for non-economic damages, although these can be hard to calculate. Usually, your accident attorney will make use of a multiplier method to calculate these damages.
They will take all of your economic damages and multiply the total by a certain number, which ranges from 1-5. For instance, if you sustained economic damages worth $300, 000, your attorney could multiply this by three to reach a total of $900, 000 worth of noneconomic damages. A good lawyer will take into account other factors when calculating the amount of compensation, you deserve for your PTSD. These can include the seriousness of your condition as well as how it may affect your ability to work and your future life in general.
