As anyone suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) already
knows, going back to your everyday routine after a major trauma can be
incredibly painful and disorienting. However, although most people are
familiar with the basic concept of PTSD, few really understand how it
can transform your entire life after an accident.
At Ivey Barnum & O’Mara, LLC, our Greenwich
personal injury lawyers are committed to helping victims of PTSD get the recovery they
need to heal, particularly when their PTSD was directly caused by another
party’s negligence. While it can sometimes be a challenge to convince
a jury about your PTSD damages, the right attorney will be able to communicate
the true scope of your condition, and secure maximum recovery for your case.
Who Is Affected by PTSD?
Contrary to popular perception, post-traumatic stress disorder affects
children and adults from all walks of life, and it’s not just limited
to war veterans. Last year, the National Institute of Mental Health found that
3.6% of all U.S. adults had a diagnosed case of PTSD, with a lifetime prevalence rate of 6.8%. Experts also believe that many
people are living with untreated PTSD, due to the fact that 70% of adults
will deal with a traumatic event at least once in their life (although
not all will go on to develop PTSD.)
Ranging from mild to severe, post-traumatic stress disorder can be caused
by any of the following traumatic events:
- Violent assault
- Witnessing a death or act of violence
- Sexual assault
- Terrorist attacks
- Exposure to combat situations
- Prolonged abuse from a family member
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Amputation
- Natural disasters, like major floods or fires
- Diagnosis of a serious or fatal condition
Marked by uncontrollable flashbacks, severe anxiety, memory loss, and high
levels of adrenaline, PTSD can interfere with your ability to work or
even enjoy life. Like any form of stress, PTSD is considered a verifiable
medical injury – and as such, you’re legally entitled to seek
compensation for this disorder in the wake of an accident or act of violence.
Proving PTSD in an Injury Claim
PTSD is much more common than most people realize, which can make it hard
to prove your condition before a jury. It’s also an incredibly complex
psychological disorder, and there’s no existing medical explanation
as to why some individuals develop PTSD when others do not. This means
that you will need to secure expert witness testimony when proving your
PTSD damages, most likely from a highly-skilled medical professional with
training in psychiatry or neurology.
Here are a few of the ways an expert witness can help your case:
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Validating the medical costs associated with your claim. PTSD requires nearly indefinite medical treatment, ranging from cognitive
behavioral therapy to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).
By explaining how medical providers bill for these treatments, an expert
witness can validate the amount you’ve claimed for damages.
-
Elaborating on your symptoms. Flashbacks and anxiety attacks are the hallmarks of PTSD, but the truth
is that there are many other symptoms juries may not know about. Your
expert witness can testify to the long-term behavioral, emotional, and
psychological costs.
-
Showing the direct causal chain between your accident and PTSD. Most importantly, an expert witness can help the jury understand how your
specific incident led to post-traumatic stress disorder. From detailing
past office visits to reviewing the symptoms you reported after an accident,
an expert witness can show how negligence directly caused your condition.
At Ivey Barnum & O’Mara, LLC, our skilled Greenwich personal
injury team has decades of combined legal experience, and can create a
strong strategy for your PTSD claim. Contact us at {F:P:Site:Phone} today
to get a free consultation.