Physical injury and mental health are interconnected. Physical harm can trigger psychological disorders characterised by distressing, impairing, and atypical thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Physical trauma can be produced by a car accident. Examples of injuries include whiplash, concussions, and spinal damage.
Psychological Impact of Injuries Sustained
Nonetheless, road traffic accidents can cause emotional and psychological injuries that lead to life changes. Therefore, the repercussions are severe. Even a minor incident can cause long-term anxiety, not to mention fears and phobias about driving a car. It can take a while to get over the pain and feel safe again.
What Does Psychological Injury Really Mean?
Following a motor vehicle accident, people start to count their losses. Yet, physical injuries aren’t the only type of damage inflicted. Victims experience multiple problems in terms of mental health. Some emotional distress fades with time, but other psychological effects are long-lasting. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not people with more severe injuries who are more likely to sustain psychiatric complications.
Passengers have the most persistent mental issues. Traumatic experiences can be both objective and subjective, depending on the person’s interpretation of what happened and the perception of the incident. Coping with the trauma can present unique challenges.
Those who suffer psychological injury are either primary or secondary victims. The primary victim is an active participant. They were directly involved in the accident. On the other hand, the secondary victim is someone who suffers psychological injury after having witnessed a traumatic event in which someone was hurt. They’ve seen the events first-hand and may be remarkably distressed.
They may be entitled to compensation for psychological trauma. Claiming compensation for psychological trauma in the UK as a secondary victim is highly complex, and it’s necessary to have the support of a legal professional. The life of the secondary victim is affected to the same degree as those directly involved in the accident.
After Being Involved in A Serious Car Accident, Survivors Have Reported Experiencing
Emotional Distress
Emotional distress can be defined as a state of emotional suffering, which arises from the effect or memory of an event or occurrence. It’s normal to have a bad day or a rough few weeks. However, it’s not okay to feel sad all the time. The constant presence of anxiety is a clear sign that something is wrong. Individuals can suffer psychological damage in any kind of crash. Emotional distress can take the form of fear of returning to the accident scene or lack of sleep, to name a few. In addition to these symptoms, mention can be made of feelings of anger, grief, irritability, and feeling on edge.
Mental Anguish
Some people suffer a relatively high degree of mental pain and suffering. It’s more than just disappointment, anger, resentment, or embarrassment, although it can include any of these. One of the best ways to prove that you’ve incurred this type of psychological injury is to get medical attention and follow the treatment plan the doctor recommended. Mental anguish is a type of non-economic damage, so it’s possible to claim compensation for pain and suffering. The legal solution is a pragmatic one, derived from experience and awards in similar cases.
Phobia of Driving
This specific type of phobia is characterised by an extreme fear of driving or riding a vehicle. Even if the person has walked away from the car accident without a scratch, that doesn’t mean they’re comfortable getting back behind the wheel. Common signs of phobia of driving include trembling, sweating, increased heart rate, excessive fear of losing control, and finding excuses not to drive.
Low Quality/Enjoyment of Life
Even relatively minor car crashes can lead to a significantly lower quality of life. Physical limitations, such as paralysis, can cause severe psychological pain. They lose their ability to use their limbs, earn income, and enjoy life. The insurance company will try to minimise its losses by questioning the severity of the victim’s claims.
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in individuals who’ve experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. Prevention is possible when counselling is targeted at the symptoms, but it’s not effective if it’s provided to people who don’t experience symptoms. Each person’s experience of PTSD is singular. Even if you’ve experienced the same trauma as someone else, it will affect you differently. These are some common signs and symptoms to recognise:
- Emotional numbness
- Difficulty connecting
- Recurring thoughts and flashbacks of the event
- Avoiding people, places, and activities
How Is Pain and Suffering Measured in A Personal Injury Case?
Economic damages are simple to back up with evidence. It’s not the same case with non-economic damages. The purpose for the award of damages is to compensate the injured party for loss, rather than punishing the wrongdoer. In other words, damages are supposed to return the plaintiff as closely as possible to their condition before the accident.
To successfully claim compensation, it’s necessary to prove that your life has changed after the road traffic accident. Most importantly, the victim has to show that these consequences result from the car crash. Failure to mitigate these steps will likely result in your entitlement to damages being reduced.
The valuation of damages for pain and suffering is largely subjective. Nonetheless, a judge is responsible for deciding the worth of these damages. The following criteria determine how much compensation a victim can be awarded:
- Severity
- Duration
- Evidence
The plaintiff’s testimony may be necessary for the claim. As a rule, legal action should be commenced within three years, beginning from the date the incident occurred. Once the statute of limitations expires, a person can’t make a personal injury claim, in spite of its fundamental substantive merits. The law doesn’t provide guidelines on how to calculate compensation for psychological injuries.
Without evidence, it’s impossible to prove pain and suffering. Most injury claims don’t go to court. Needless to say, the insurance company won’t be eager to offer fair and just compensation. If you’re curious to know what pay-out you might receive, you can use a compensation calculator. It’s designed to give a more accurate figure