arrow_back Back to Articles by Victoria Price calendar_month 11 Apr 23 schedule 2 min read Serious or traumatic accidents rarely only lead to physical injuries. Psychological injuries and problems with mental health often come hand in hand. Many of our clients come to us after a traumatic event – road traffic accident, accident at work, accident in a public place or after a violent attack, to ask us to claim compensation for them for their injuries. In the majority of cases, they don’t realise that the psychological effect of the accident can also be claimed for. Psychological damages are not uncommon A psychological reaction or a deterioration in mental health after an accident is not uncommon. If the incident itself has been traumatic then clients may have feared for their lives or witnessed disturbing scenes that keep coming back to them and are hard to process. They might suffer from flashbacks to the event or have nightmares many months later and develop fear of everyday events. They could avoid going to the place where the accident occurred and avoid doing things they would have done without any problem before. They may appear to be more jumpy or frightened even at small things. These behaviours could, amongst other things, indicate post traumatic stress disorder or an adjustment disorder. These would be a natural reaction to what occurred when the accident happened. When someone is seriously injured they have to go through a series of adjustments, physically and emotionally, to what has happened. They will have to spend a long time in hospital – undergoing surgery and treatment and after that many outpatients appointments. Their home might have to be converted or changed to accommodate them better. They will be dependent on friends, family and carers for assistance with many aspects of their personal and physical care and nursing. Work, their hobbies and interests will all go on hold during their rehabilitation. They might not ever return to these. Plans such as holidays or weddings will have to go on hold too. They will have to get used to reduced mobility as well as using aids and appliances to help them. Simple tasks like making a cup of tea can become impossible. There are numerous changes and adjustments that have to be made to accommodate the rehabilitation process and help the injured person to recover. The mental health of this person is vulnerable as this process continues. This can show itself in a variety of ways. Some examples that often occur are: They might seem to be losing hope or in a constant low mood, tearful and upset. They might lose interest in things they used to enjoy. It’s possible they might become bad tempered or angry at times. They might become very anxious about things that previously would not have bothered them. They might not want to see friends or family. Treating psychological injuries Psychological injuries and mental health problems can be treated and with great success. The difficulty is usually for the injured person, their family and friends to spot these changes and symptoms. There is usually a lot going on time and effort wise with the physical recovery and amidst all of this, these traits can be missed. When you ask us to help you with your compensation claim, we will focus on this aspect of your health as well as the physical injuries. Our job is to investigate the entire injury claim and that includes any psychological injuries and mental health. Without these being treated effectively you will not recover properly. Example claims Examples of claims that our clients have had that have involved psychological injuries and mental health issues are: A motorway smash involving three vehicles which caused ankle and wrist fractures, PTSD and depression A man who fell from a height at work which caused leg fractures and anxiety disorder An amputation following an accident at work which caused depression and anxiety A scooter accident which left the rider with multiple fractures and PTSD If you would like to discuss making a claim for compensation for your suffering psychological damage following a serious injury, please contact the Serious Injury team on 003333 058375 or email SeriousInjury@psg-law.co.uk. 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