After a slip and fall accident, you will most likely have physical injuries. However, you may be wondering, can slip and fall accidents cause PTSD? In short, emotional injuries from fall accidents are certainly possible, and sadly, PTSD slip and fall injuries are usually overlooked.
If you or a loved one have recently endured a slip and fall accident, it is imperative that you discuss your slip and fall injury with an injury lawyer in Wisconsin to protect your legal rights. Gingras, Thomsen & Wachs, LLP is a personal injury law firm that provides compassionate representation to those suffering from mental health issues after enduring slip and fall accidents.
In this blog post, we discuss how a slip and fall accident can cause emotional distress and emotional trauma as well as how you can recover compensation for impacts to your mental health after such accidents.
Understanding How Psychological Injuries Can Arise with Physical Injuries in a Slip and Fall Accident
For many people, a slip and fall accident can be incredibly embarrassing. You may find yourself surrounded by strangers as you try to assess your slip and fall injury. The physical pain and physical symptoms may initially be the only thing on your mind.
However, the pain you feel may cause psychological impact, especially if chronic pain develops and imposes limitations on your daily life. As a result, it is always ideal to seek medical attention that includes medical treatments for both physical and psychological well-being. When these injuries could have been prevented if someone hadn’t been negligent, damages can be sought in your slip and fall case.
The Psychological Consequences of Slip and Fall Accidents
In slip and fall accidents, it is incredibly common to experience emotional trauma and emotional distress that go beyond your chronic pain to harm your mental health.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur with victims in a slip and fall case. With this condition, emotional trauma may arise as flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and anxiety. Facing the location where your slip and fall occurred may present such emotional distress that you engage in avoidance behaviors to keep away from similar circumstances. The long-term consequences of this type of emotional trauma are common after a car accident, though it is possible to experience these symptoms of PTSD after a slip and fall.
Depression
Your emotional trauma may also lead you to experience depression that affects your mental health. Common symptoms include sadness, hopelessness, and the need to isolate from loved ones.
Your self-esteem may have been impacted either from the accident or during your recovery process as you initially realize the severity of injuries and how they play a crucial role in your daily life. If you experience depression, you should seek professional help to work through this emotional trauma.
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders of any kind are a form of emotional trauma. You may have panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or develop a new fear that results in avoidance behaviors. Treatment can help you manage your symptoms after your falling accident, and a personal injury lawyer can help you seek compensation through the legal process.
Fear of Falling
In addition to the fears that anxiety can bring, you may become fearful of having another fall. These fears can impede your life, causing you to avoid even benign situations.
Regardless of the type of mental suffering you experience after this type of accident, you should seek appropriate treatment during your recovery period to manage symptoms. If you are suffering in pain from your injuries and you find that the mental impacts are interfering with your life, make sure that you discuss your personal injury claim with an attorney.
Legal Rights for Slip and Fall Psychological Trauma
Slip and falls are part of a category of personal injury claims known as premises liability. Under the laws for premises liability, property owners are required to keep their property free of hazards and dangers that could bring harm to any invited guests.
These laws apply to both private property owners as well as owners of businesses and commercial properties. If someone falls on their property as a direct result of the owner’s negligence, that owner can be held liable for physical and mental impacts they cause victims.
For example, you may have gone to a nearby restaurant to enjoy a meal. However, the owner of the restaurant had flooring that was coming up, causing a hazard. They knew or should have known about this dangerous condition on their property yet failed to repair it or sufficiently place barriers and warnings to prevent you from getting hurt. As a result, you fell and broke your arm in several places. Now you’ll need physical therapy, and due to your profession, you are unable to work until this injury heals, causing you lost wages. This event can lead you to suffering the mental impacts as well.
What all victims should know in these situations is that they need to be on high alert when the insurer of the property owner attempts to offer compensation. Most of these initial offers will be insufficient in covering all of your medical expenses, including for PTSD treatment. Victims should always consult a lawyer first to ensure the offer is fair, or they may lose the opportunity to seek additional compensation for their damages.
How a Fall Attorney Can Help You Seek Recover Compensation
A slip and fall accident can leave you in tremendous pain while causing PTSD and other mental impacts. When you have been hurt because a property owner was negligent, you deserve to recuperate your financial losses from physical and mental consequences of this incident.
Gingras, Thomsen & Wachs, LLP is committed to assisting victims in these upsetting situations. We aggressively advocate and negotiate for a fair amount while handling the entire legal process. You’ll be able to focus on healing while we hold those responsible for your physical and mental injuries accountable. Schedule a free case evaluation today to find out if you can seek damages for PTSD in your case.
