Can I claim for a psychological injury in a serious accident?
The psychological effects of a road traffic accident can be just as traumatic as the physical ones and these emotional effects can have a significant impact on daily life.
When you have suffered a serious physical injury, it is often the first thing on your mind, but it is important not to forget the injuries you can’t see.
Bruising, swelling or soreness can be difficult to ignore, but the psychological injuries are often overlooked until they are on top of you.
People will often seek medical treatment to resolve the physical injuries, you don’t just hope they’ll go away without care, so psychological injuries should be treated the same.
Some of the psychological injuries you may suffer include:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Anxiety, worry or fear
- Interrupted sleep
- Guilt, shame or self-blame
- Phobia around driving
- Depression
- Emotional withdrawal
- Irritability or agitation
These can come from more than just the initial shock of the accident, but also from coming to terms with your life after the injuries you have sustained or any financial stress you incur.
When it comes to making a personal injury claim you may also able to claim for the psychological impact among your other compensation.
It Is important to document your psychological injuries by working with the right professionals.
We can then look to recover both the cost of treatment and compensation for the suffering you have endured.
Minster Law serious injury solicitor Paul Maxwell has said that a person could look to recover damages for a recognised psychiatric condition as a “primary victim, regardless of whether a physical injury was sustained”.
A primary victim is considered to be a person who could have suffered a physical injury.
For example, that they were within the range of potential physical harm.
“If the individual is not a primary victim then he or she may be able to bring a claim as a secondary victim but only if they have directly witnessed the death or serious injury of a loved one or have arrived at the scene in the immediate aftermath,” he said.
If you think you have suffered psychologically due to your accident, contact your dedicated expert today.
