ADVICE FROM CONSUMER ADVOCATE STAN GREYSON
You ARE Injured
WHY YOU NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR AFTER AN ACCIDENT
Whether or not you were taken to the hospital after your automobile accident it is quite possible that you will suffer from impacts, whether minor or major, from the incident for years to come. The truth is that as an accident victim you are perhaps the worst person to determine the extent of your physical, emotional, and mental injuries and are certainly much less qualified to determine how much you should be compensated for them. You owe it to yourself and to your family to seek out the advice of accident experts who deal with accident victims every single day. These experts can help you get what you and your family deserve.
The vast majority of accident victims don’t recognize their injuries for days, weeks, months, or even years following the accident. As a result, they never seek out the advice of experts who can get them the medical help they need before it is too late. Over the last twenty years, scientists have determined that musculoskeletal problems arising from very minor accidents can result in permanent injuries if left untreated. In fact, the National Institute of Health determined that 62% of accident victims experienced major residual effects for 10–15 years after their accidents. Many of these effects can be avoided with proper treatment.
The British academic journal, Bone and Joint, determined that more than 25% of accident victims who walked away without feeling any pain ultimately suffered from “intrusive symptoms” after their car collision. It further concluded that more than 12% suffered from serious head and neck pain in the months following their accidents. The National Institute of Health determined that more than half of these victims were symptomatic eight years after their accident. In a follow-up NIH study scientists found that 70% of those victims suffered symptoms a full 15 years after their accidents. 4 Without the help of an accident expert, you may not get the medical help you need and the compensation you deserve.
Many people don’t realize that individuals who experience a serious motor vehicle accident are at increased risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD doesn’t usually present itself immediately and as a result, it is often overlooked in personal injury cases. Gayle Beck and Scott Coffey recount the story of one accident victim suffering from PTSD in their article, Assessment and treatment of PTSD after a motor vehicle collision,
As Cathy sat at the traffic light thinking about the errands she was running, she could hear her two year-old singing in the backseat. Suddenly, a violent blow from behind launched her car forward approximately 15 feet. Immediately, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. With her ears ringing from the noise of the collision, she at once thought, “my baby is dead”. Whipping her head around despite the intense pain, she saw her baby wide-eyed and surprised, but completely uninjured as he sat buckled in his car seat. For months following the collision she asked herself, “It was just a wreck- like people have every day … Why am I having bad dreams about it, a hard time driving, and I can’t seem to relax anymore”.
As many as 7 million Americans suffer from PTSD with the leading cause being automobile accidents according to studies. Only a doctor can help you determine if you’re suffering from a disorder like PTSD. If you haven’t been screened by a clinician there is no way to know if you are likely to suffer from PTSD in the future. The primary symptoms of PTSD may include dissociation, avoidant behavior, detachment, alienation, hypervigilance, hypersensitivity, and intrusive thoughts. It is common for PTSD to be combined with depression, anxiety, mood swings, instability, alcohol and drug abuse, agoraphobia, vehophobia, insomnia, memory, and focus problems. Most people who develop PTSD will do so within three months of an accident, but symptoms might appear even later according to the APA. If you find the right legal representative you can be compensated for PTSD caused by negligence. Damages can include current and future medical expenses, lost wages, non-economic damages from emotional distress, and loss of consortium to name a few.
It is imperative that you don’t risk future pain and suffering or the compensation you are due by not seeking medical treatment and legal representation as soon as possible.
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