When you are injured in a car accident in New Jersey, your immediate focus is usually treating your physical injuries, which can be serious.
However, the impact of a car accident is often much more than your physical injuries. Even a minor accident can cause you more mental and emotional damage than you may think.
How your mental health can suffer
There are many symptoms associated with trauma that people experience after a car accident, such as anxiety, depression, sleeping problems and post-traumatic stress disorder.
You might not feel these effects right after the accident, since treating your physical injuries or dealing with the logistics of the accident, such as contacting insurance companies and filing a claim.
However, these symptoms may appear shortly after the initial shock of the accident wears off or they might grow slowly over time. You might find yourself afraid to drive again, even on small trips such as to the grocery store.
Taking care of yourself
There are several things you can do to cope with the trauma after a car accident. Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep, eat well and exercise, according to your ability. Seeking social support and talking with a mental health professional can have great benefits.
A personal injury claim for damages may help you with compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. The psychological trauma you experience could be factored into your pain and suffering calculation.
It is often a challenge to prove your number of damages for pain and suffering. Calculating damages is easier when you have documents such as medical bills or pay statements to show.
Evidence of your pain and suffering
Ways of proving your pain and suffering damage include submitting documents reflecting a diagnosis for any mental health condition or therapy costs. You must still prove that these conditions or costs were the result of the accident.
The compensation you receive can provide you with the financial support you need while you mentally recover from the car accident.