Most people expect to walk away from a car crash with whiplash, broken bones, or a concussion. They don’t expect to walk away from a car accident with PTSD. 

PTSD, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder, is a serious mental health disorder. It can significantly affect your quality of life. Even though PTSD is becoming more well-known, many people don’t realize that they have developed this disorder after a car accident.

If you are experiencing PTSD after a car accident in Buffalo, you may have legal options. You can recover compensation to pay for treatment and reimburse other losses caused by PTSD. A Buffalo car accident lawyer at O’Brien & Ford Buffalo Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight to get payment and your life back on track.

What Is PTSD? 

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder. It develops after someone experiences a particularly traumatic event. Usually, the event is life-threatening or emotionally and physically harmful. In this case, a car accident. 

Many people mistakenly believe that only combat veterans can experience PTSD. However, this could not be further from the truth. As the disorder becomes more mainstream, it is clear that different types of trauma can cause PTSD. 

Symptoms Of PTSD

There are four main categories of PTSD symptoms:

  • Intrusion
  • Avoidance
  • Alterations in cognition and mood
  • Alterations in arousal and reactivity

To get a diagnosis, one needs to have symptoms for more than a month after the incident and have them significantly impact one’s day-to-day life.

Intrusion

Symptoms of intrusion are:

  • Involuntary memories
  • Distressing dreams
  • Flashbacks
  • Intrusive thoughts 

Intrusive symptoms are the most well-known symptoms of PTSD.

Avoidance

Avoidance symptoms include avoiding:

  • People
  • Places
  • Activities
  • Situations 
  • Talking about what happened

These symptoms can be easily brushed off as normal after a car accident. Unfortunately, they are often written off as not that serious.

Alterations In Cognition And Mood And Arousal And Reactivity

Both alterations in cognition and mood, as well as arousal and reactivity, may present as symptoms of a brain injury. This can be confusing if you also suffered a head injury during the crash.

Symptoms may include:

  • Poor memory of the traumatic event
  • Distorted beliefs about self 
  • Blaming self 
  • Less interest in activities
  • Feeling detached 
  • Void of happiness 
  • Irritability
  • Angry outbursts
  • Reckless or self-destructive behavior
  • Suspicious
  • Easily startled
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Difficulty concentrating

These types of symptoms can be difficult to pinpoint as PTSD. When there may be co-occurring physical injuries after a car accident, it is even more important to have a physical and psychological evaluation.

Treatment For PTSD

Unfortunately, there is no cure for PTSD. However, there are several treatment options. These treatments can help mitigate the symptoms of PTSD and increase your quality of life. 

Your doctor may use one or a combination of multiple treatment methods. The main PTSD treatments are:

  • Cognitive therapy (talk therapy)
  • Exposure therapy
  • Antidepressants 
  • Anti-anxiety medication 

Sometimes, people with PTSD also have other mental health conditions. This may include substance abuse issues. PTSD treatment may involve treating these other conditions simultaneously.

Can You Recover Damages For PTSD After A Car Accident?

There are many options to recover damages for PTSD after a car accident. The most straightforward way is to request non-economic damages

Non-economic damages are payments for intangible losses. This often includes payment for mental health disorders that result from an accident. You can also get paid for the effect of PTSD on your overall quality and enjoyment of life. There are multiple different ways to calculate the value of non-economic damages.

Additionally, you can recover certain economic damages related to PTSD. For example, you may get payment for cognitive or exposure therapy bills or lost wages if you are unable to work because of PTSD.

Contact The Buffalo Personal Injury Lawyers At O’Brien & Ford Buffalo Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers For Help Today 

A Buffalo car accident lawyer can help you calculate your damages so that you recover all that you are entitled to recover. More importantly, they can fight to hold the defendant liable on your behalf. You shouldn’t have to live with the emotional consequences of PTSD after a car accident without any financial help.

For more information, please contact the Buffalo car accident lawyers at O’Brien & Ford Buffalo Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with an accident lawyer. We have a convenient office location in Buffalo, NY.

We proudly serve all throughout Erie County and the state of New York.

O’Brien & Ford Buffalo Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers
4549 Main St, Suite 201
Buffalo, New York, 14226
(716) 222-2222