A car accident can change your entire life in an instant. Severe injuries can limit your mobility and cause daily pain. Meanwhile, emotional trauma may leave you struggling with anxiety, depression, or PTSD symptoms.
Fortunately, recovering compensation for your injuries may be possible, and it can make your road to recovery a smoother one. But first, you’ll need to understand the reality of the physical and emotional toll these accidents can take.
Common Physical Injuries and Their Long-Term Impact
Car accidents often cause injuries that can linger longer than expected. Some of the most common car accident injuries include:
- Whiplash and Neck Injuries: These injuries can feel relatively mild at first, but they can worsen over time, leading to chronic pain, limited mobility, and ongoing discomfort.
- Back and Spinal Cord Injuries: Damage to the spine can lead to herniated discs, nerve pain, or even paralysis. These injuries often require long-term therapy or surgery.
- Broken Bones: Even relatively small fractures can take months to heal and may leave victims with lingering discomfort, reduced strength, or arthritis in the future.
- Head Injuries: Even a “mild” concussion can cause headaches, memory issues, or concentration problems that impact your everyday life.
Emotional and Psychological Effects You May Experience After a Crash
The devastation of a car accident goes well beyond physical injuries and property damage. The psychological toll of enduring the impact and the emotional toll of facing daily pain, limited mobility, and significant financial distress are often the most devastating consequences of all.
Here are some of the most common emotional and psychological effects car accident victims experience:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): The trauma of the crash can cause victims to relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares, and struggle with panic attacks whenever riding in a car.
- Anxiety and Depression: The stress of dealing with injuries, medical bills, time off from work, and the inability to do things they enjoy can often leave car accident victims struggling with their mental health.
- Sleep Problems: Physical pain and emotional distress can interfere with rest, which in turn slows the healing process, potentially triggering further emotional distress.
How Car Accident Compensation Can Support Recovery
Car accident compensation isn’t just about paying hospital bills or replacing your vehicle. It’s about providing the financial support you need to recover and rebuild your life. Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may be entitled to financial compensation for the following:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
While no amount of money can make your physical and emotional pain disappear, car accident compensation is intended to help you along the road to recovery by addressing some of the biggest reasons why you might be struggling: mounting medical bills, lack of income, and a sense of injustice.
Contact Our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If you’ve suffered injuries in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. The team at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. can help you seek the treatment you need and fight for the financial recovery you deserve. We’ve recovered more than $2.5 billion for our clients to date, including over 375 case results exceeding $1 million. Contact us today for your free consultation to learn how we can help you, too.
