According to the Cleveland Clinic‘s research, you can get Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from any other traumatic or life-threatening event. You might experience symptoms of PTSD in the aftermath of a serious car accident. These symptoms can include:
- Repetitive, intrusive memories
- The feeling of reliving the accident
- Sleep disturbances and nightmares
- Persistent negativity, fear, or anger
- Disinterest in previously enjoyed activities
In addition to emotional factors, physical symptoms can come with PTSD, such as nervousness, jumpiness, lack of focus and concentration, and difficulty sleeping. PTSD can limit your ability to care for yourself as well as to work and support yourself or your family.
You might notice these signs right after an accident or long after the accident. If you or your passengers experience any of these PTSD warning signs after the accident, seek treatment from a doctor or mental health professional right away.
Treating PTSD After a Car Accident in Los Angeles
Similar to physical injuries you sustained in a car accident, PTSD requires prompt and professional treatment. The Cleveland Clinic health care professionals and researchers recommend the following types of cognitive treatments:
- Behavioral therapy (forms of prolonged exposure, thought mastery, patient education, and mindfulness)
- Processing therapy (thought management, emotional therapy, emotional monitoring, and development of coping skills)
- Restructuring therapy (thought transformation, journaling, and coping skills that help manage post-accident fear and anger)
Some cases of PTSD might also require drug therapy to help manage symptoms. However, most PTSD cases can vary. This means you might need a completely custom treatment or combination of treatments to treat your symptoms. Your health care team helps you manage your PTSD. However, an auto accident lawyer in Los Angeles from our team can help you start building a solid claim.
Recovering the Costs of PTSD Treatment and Other Damages
A personal injury claim can help cover the costs of treating your physical injuries, mental, emotional pain, and suffering, which often go with PTSD. The California Civil Code (CIV) §1431.2 can entitle you to recoverable damages after a car accident, such as:
- Accident-related medical expenses
- Accident-related loss of income
- Car repair or replacement costs
- In-home medical or domestic care
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
You must provide your legal team with copies of your health care records and bills because they can help prove the injury portion of your compensation claim. However, your legal team can also get them if you can’t do it yourself.
Get a Copy of Your Los Angeles Car Accident Report
A car accident report can help your lawyer prove the accident’s cause. Likewise, it might prove your right to financial compensation due to negligence. In short, your car accident report can help prove the severity of your Los Angeles car accident.
In fact, your crash report supplement the details in your medical records which help establish the depth and severity of your physical and emotional injuries. This is why it’s important that you get a copy of your car accident report. Again, your legal team can get a copy on your behalf if your injuries prevent you from doing so.
Proving Cause with Your Car Accident Report
Your car accident report might indicate factors that can help identify the cause of the accident, which can pinpoint the at-fault driver’s liability:
- Driver distraction codes
- Driver actions preceding the crash
- Primary accident factors
- Field sobriety test results
- Observations by witnesses
- Accident scene diagrams
In addition, a car accident report can help work out the physical and emotional damage caused by a car accident. Also, it can determine the details of your immediately apparent injuries, whether you were trapped inside or ejected from the vehicle. It can even include your physical and emotional state at the accident scene. Then, your lawyer can also combine these details with your medical records, so they can assign a monetary value to your claim.
Get Legal Help Today
If you believe that you got PTSD from a car accident in Los Angeles, we can help. The Jacoby & Meyers team is dedicated to helping you seek compensation for damages caused by an accident. Reach out to our offices by calling (866) 559-7223 today. We are ready to support and help you, so you can build an effective personal injury compensation claim.