Can You Get PTSD from a Car Accident? PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, is a mental health condition that can have a serious impact on someone's well-being. In significant part, this is because of symptoms that range from depression, anxiety, intrusive memories of the traumatic event to negative changes in the accident victim’s thinking. PTSD is serious and it can last for months and years or have permanent residual manifestations. It should come as no surprise to learn that car accidents indeed count as traumatic events, meaning that car accidents can cause PTSD in the accident victims who were involved in the car accident, either as driver or passenger. Generally speaking, the more unexpected the traumatic or terrifying event, [...]

One "Serious Injury" = All Injuries CompensableWe discussed in a previous post that not all injuries from a motor vehicle accident are compensable; only "serious" injuries are entitled to compensation for pain and suffering.  The term "serious injury" is defined in the Insurance Law and the Courts have further defined "serious injury" in numerous appellate cases.  What if there are several injuries and some are "serious", but some are not?  In this scenario, the Courts have held that once the plaintiff proves a "serious injury" with respect to any body part, all injuries are then compensable under the law.  This means that, for example, if you sustained a fractured wrist in a motor vehicle accident (which is a "serious" [...]