PTSD & Anxiety After an Accident — Arthofer & Tonkin

Frequently Asked Questions

Can your mental health be impacted by a personal injury incident?

Yes! There is both a physical and a mental component to every personal injury case. This is recognized in California Law. Non-economic or general damages are commonly called “pain and suffering.” California Civil Jury Instruction 3905A includes, among other things, “pain, mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, physical impairment, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation, and emotional distress.” Injury-producing events are traumatic. While some people involved in a personal injury accident recover from their physical injuries without long-term mental stress, a significant portion of clients injured by the negligence of others do suffer long-lasting impacts on their mental well-being following an accident. It is important that you receive the treatment you need to get better not only for your physical injuries but also for your mental health. The attorneys at the Arthofer & Tonkin Law Offices feel very fortunate to be able to walk alongside our clients as they recover and we handle their injury claim litigation needs. We have experience in handling the full spectrum of physical, mental, and emotional injuries and look forward to consulting with you at no cost or obligation. Call us today.

Can an accident cause PTSD?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be caused by a personal injury event including but not limited to vehicle accidents. An expert recently opined in a case that we were handling for a client that PTSD occurs in 39% of automobile accident cases. The expert’s opinion was informed by various scholarly articles, studies, and publications. If you are struggling with anxiety, post-traumatic stress, or other mental health conditions following your accident you are not alone. There is hope. We have seen our clients recover from these conditions. No matter the injuries you have sustained, the team at Arthofer & Tonkin stands ready to vigorously advocate for you and assist you along the path toward recovery. Call us today for a free consultation.

Do I need medical treatment after a car accident?

There are some cases where the answer to this question is an obvious yes. Serious injuries should be immediately treated by not only emergency first responders but also at an appropriate medical facility like the closest emergency room. There are other cases, however, where the force of adrenaline and the excitement after an accident will mask your injuries for several hours. It may be appropriate to get medical care in cases where you were involved in a serious incident, but are not yet feeling the full effects of your injuries. If you are unsure, it is probably the best and safest course of action for you to get medical care right away.

Transcription

We all know about injuries you can see, things like scars or broken bones that you can see on an x-ray. Even though mental health has become something that we are more comfortable talking about as a society, it is still not generally accepted, as we talk about broken bones or things that need stitches. But when you have been involved in a severe accident, there is often a mental health component to the injuries. Insurance companies that will be on the other side of your accident case take injuries that they can see and understand simply more seriously than more complex injuries like those associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. We can illustrate this point with a case study from one of the files we handled here in the past. Our client developed severe PTSD and anxiety following a severe automobile accident. It was a rollover accident, and it was caused by a driver who was under the influence of alcohol. To add insult to injury, this driver was belligerent at the accident scene after the cars had come to rest. So our client had concern not only for his physical well-being but also for the well-being of the other people in the car, not just from the injuries from the accident but also from this drunk driver. As he attempted to get treatment driving from his rural home into the city to access healthcare, he noticed he was terrified riding in cars and that the situation really was not made better if he was driving.

It was determined that he was suffering from significant post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Unfortunately, it was difficult for him to get treatment. He needed to be able to get transportation to get treatment, but he lived rurally, and it was the transportation that was so difficult. It is critical to get the healthcare you need to get better. It’s also critical to work with attorneys who are comfortable with all of your injuries, whether they be orthopedic in nature or related to your mental health. You must get the care you need to address both the injuries that can be seen and those that cannot be seen. Post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety accompany almost a third of all people who have been involved in serious automobile accidents. This is an important part of your claim, and you need attorneys who are skilled in handling this type of claim. So give us a call today if you have been involved in a personal injury accident, and we will consult with you for free about these types of injuries or any other injuries you may be experiencing.

IMPORTANT: The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Communication submitted via the website is not considered confidential or protected by attorney-client privilege and may be reviewed by a third-party. *Any statements on this website do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.