Recovering and Handling Anxiety or Emotional Damages After a Wreck: South Carolina Car Accident Lawyer Explains
Motor vehicle accidents can cause a whole host of different serious, debilitating, catastrophic, and even fatal injuries. This is particularly true on fast-moving highways and interstates, particularly on I-85, I-26, I-77, I-95, and I-20. Statistics from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety reveal that there are approximately 142,000 motor vehicle collisions resulting in over 55,000 personal injuries and over 1,000 fatalities on our roadways each year. But while many of these motor vehicle crashes caused serious, catastrophic, and fatal personal injuries, one common type of underreported injury is emotional injuries such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you or a loved one were seriously injured in suffered any of these injuries, please call our experienced South Carolina car accident lawyer for help.
Here at David Blackwell Law, our compassionate and experienced team has a proven track record of success in helping victims, and their families recover compensation for motor vehicle accidents. This includes emotional damages such as anxiety, PTSD, depression, fear, and other harms that could be caused by a crash. Learn more about how we can help you after a crash during a FREE consultation with our car accident lawyer in Lancaster, SC, and Indian Land, SC.
Understanding Damages in a Car Accident Case
The term “damages” is the measure of relief that a party to a lawsuit can receive. There are many different forms of damages, depending on the type of case. In personal injury cases, the term damages typically means monetary compensation.
There are economic damages or non-economic damages. Economic damages are those that can be calculated, such as medical bills, lost wages, and other financial figures. Whereas non-economic damages cannot be calculatable in the same formulaic approach, but rather are based on the pain and suffering, agony, and mental harms a person suffers.
Thus, non-economic damages typically refer to emotional harm. The most significant factor is the pain and suffering from a physical injury such as a broken bone or need for surgery. But the emotional damages such as anxiety, fear, and PTSD also make up a large part of damages.
What are Common Emotional Damages After a South Carolina Car Accident
After a motor vehicle accident, emotional damages are more than just the pain and suffering from physical agony and harm. Injuries can also be psychological or mental, which are very real and concrete damages or injuries that could affect a person’s ability to work and enjoy life. These types of damages are also applicable where an individual has not been harmed in a manner that results in serious physical injury—maybe even no physical injury at all—but the emotional or psychological harm is debilitating.
The most common types of emotional harm after a motor vehicle accident in South Carolina that may result in personal injuries include the following:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Fear
- Anguish
- Self-harm intentions
- Withdrawal
- Issues with sleep
- Nightmares
- Mood swings
- Uncharacteristic behaviors, and
- Many other serious or debilitating injuries.
Why Emotional Damages Can Be Just As Harmful as Physical Ones
Individuals who suffer emotional damages in motor vehicle damage can suffer greater harms than those with broken bones or other physical injuries. This is because physical injuries typically can heal, some in weeks after a cast or with medical treatment, medication, or other care.
Whereas some psychological injuries could last forever. They could also be more debilitating and harmful than some physical injuries, some so powerful that they could affect a person’s daily life and activities more than physical injuries. This is why some psychological harms are more devastating than certain injuries in motor vehicle accidents.
Anyone could suffer psychological harm too. Some people who may not believe they are pre-disposed to psychological harm could suffer immensely in a crash—even a minor one—from emotional, mental, psychological, and related damages. This includes even if there are no physical injuries.
Were You Hurt in a South Carolina Car Crash? Learn How We Can Help!
If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a crash and suffered any type of physical or emotional injuries, learn how our South Carolina car accident lawyer can help you and your family recover the compensation that you deserve during a FREE consultation with the personal injury law firm of David Blackwell Law. To schedule your appointment, call 803-285-0225.
