Physical injuries are easy to point to. A broken bone shows up on an X-ray. A laceration leaves a visible scar. A damaged disc appears in an MRI. These are injuries that feel real in a legal sense because they can be seen and measured. What does not get nearly as much attention, in doctors’ offices, in legal consultations, or in settlement negotiations, is the psychological toll that a serious car accident takes on the people involved.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, fear of driving, and other forms of psychological trauma following a car accident are not minor complaints. They are recognized medical conditions that affect the daily lives of a significant number of accident survivors. They are also legally compensable as part of a personal injury claim. As a personal injury lawyer in New Bedford, making sure clients understand this part of their claim is something I consider an important part of doing this work correctly.
How Common Is Psychological Trauma After a Car Accident?
The research on this is consistent and striking. Studies have found that roughly one in three people involved in serious car accidents develop some form of clinically significant psychological distress in the aftermath. Post-traumatic stress disorder specifically affects an estimated nine to fourteen percent of car accident survivors, making motor vehicle accidents one of the leading causes of PTSD in civilian populations in the United States.
These are not rare edge cases. They are a predictable consequence that a substantial portion of accident victims experience, and yet the conversation about mental health after an accident is almost always absent from early discussions about personal injury claims.
What PTSD and Emotional Trauma Look Like After a Car Accident
Post-traumatic stress disorder following a car accident can present in ways that are not always immediately recognized as PTSD by the person experiencing them:
- Intrusive memories or flashbacks to the accident, triggered by sounds, locations, or sensory experiences that resemble the crash
- Nightmares related to the accident or to themes of danger and harm
- Avoidance of driving, being in vehicles, or passing the location where the accident happened
- Hypervigilance while in a car, including constant checking of mirrors, tensing at sudden sounds, or difficulty relaxing as a passenger
- Emotional numbness, difficulty connecting with family or friends, or withdrawal from activities previously enjoyed
- Irritability, anger, or mood swings that were not present before the accident
- Difficulty concentrating at work or in daily activities
- Persistent feelings of fear, dread, or hopelessness
If you recognize any of these in your own experience after a recent accident, please talk to your doctor about it. Not only because your mental health matters, but because documented psychological treatment is the foundation of including emotional trauma in your personal injury claim.
Emotional Trauma Is Legally Compensable in Massachusetts
Massachusetts law recognizes emotional distress as a legitimate element of personal injury damages. This falls under the broader category of pain and suffering, which includes not just physical pain but the full psychological and emotional impact of being injured through someone else’s negligence. In some situations, where emotional distress is particularly severe and well-documented, it can constitute a significant portion of the total damages in your case.
A New Bedford personal injury attorney who handles these cases will know how to incorporate documented psychological harm into the overall value of your claim and how to present it in a way that is credible and supported by medical evidence.
Why People Do Not Bring This Up and Why That Silence Costs Them
There is still a stigma around mental health, including around acknowledging that a car accident has affected you psychologically. People worry about seeming weak, or about being dismissed, or about the insurance company using their mental health history against them. Some people genuinely do not connect what they are experiencing to the accident, especially if weeks or months have passed and the psychological symptoms have blended into their general state of being.
The practical consequence of not bringing it up is that it is not included in the claim. An insurance adjuster is not going to ask whether you have been having nightmares or whether you have stopped driving since the accident. They are not going to inquire about your anxiety levels or your relationships. If you do not volunteer this information, it simply does not exist as far as your claim is concerned.
Talk to your attorney about everything you have experienced since the accident, including the things that feel unrelated to the physical injury. Your personal injury lawyer in New Bedford needs the complete picture to represent you fully.
Getting Treatment Protects Both Your Health and Your Case
Seeking mental health treatment after a car accident is the right thing to do for your wellbeing. It also happens to be the right thing for your legal case. A diagnosis from a mental health professional, a record of treatment, and documented functional impact on your daily life transforms what might otherwise be dismissed as subjective complaints into a medically recognized condition supported by professional opinion.
Therapy, psychiatric care, and psychological evaluation all create the kind of records that give your attorney something concrete to work with. The cost of that treatment is also recoverable as part of your economic damages, in addition to the non-economic damages for the emotional suffering itself.
If you have been in an accident in the New Bedford area and you are struggling psychologically in its aftermath, please reach out for both the help you need personally and the legal representation you deserve. Contact a personal injury lawyer in New Bedford for a free consultation. The full picture of what you have been through deserves to be fully compensated.
