What Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Is
PTSD is a diagnosable psychiatric condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event — including a car accident. Symptoms include intrusive memories of the accident (flashbacks, nightmares), avoidance of driving or situations reminiscent of the accident, negative changes in thoughts and mood, and heightened reactivity including hypervigilance, sleep disturbance, and exaggerated startle response.
How Car Accidents Cause PTSD
The sudden, life-threatening nature of a serious car accident — the loss of control, the impact forces, the immediate aftermath — are exactly the type of traumatic experience that precipitates PTSD. Studies consistently show significant rates of PTSD and post-traumatic anxiety in car accident survivors, particularly those who sustained physical injuries or experienced near-death perception.
How PTSD Affects Your PI Claim
PTSD and anxiety disorders are compensable injuries in New York personal injury cases. They contribute to both economic damages (inability to work, cost of psychiatric treatment) and non-economic damages (pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life). Proper psychiatric documentation — including a DSM-5 diagnosis, symptom inventory, and functional impact assessment — is required to establish these damages.
MAIC's clinical team includes referral pathways to psychiatric evaluation for car accident patients presenting with post-traumatic symptoms. Call (888) 991-5290.