Car accidents, especially fatal motor vehicle accidents, can have a lasting effect on people of all ages. Even the most minor accidents can cause victims to have problems with anxiety, depression and fear of getting behind the wheel again. The more serious accidents, those that take a loved one from us, can cause survivors to suffer from post-traumatic stress.
You need to stay as active as possible when diagnosed with post-traumatic stress following a fatal car accident. The more active you stay, the less likely it is for your stress to get worse. Join a gym, go biking, join a community organization, volunteer, travel, visit family. Do anything possible to keep active and move your mind away from the accident.
As much as you should move your mind away from the accident, you also need to talk to family members and friends. Speak with a counselor or therapist. Discuss the accident and how it happened. Discuss your feelings from immediately after the accident and the days following it.
Being involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident can wind up limiting what people do afterwards. Try to get back to your daily routine. Return to work, go back to school, start going out to dinner again with your family and friends. Don’t let the accident define you.
Teach yourself to be a defensive driver. It can help keep you safe on the roads and prevent another accident, even if you weren’t at fault in the first one.
If you have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress following the death of a loved one in a fatal motor vehicle accident, speaking with an experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand what comes next.
Source: Family Doctor, “Post-traumatic Stress After a Traffic Accident,” accessed July 07, 2017