Five Kinds of Uber Accident PTSD

Physical brain injuries, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, are very common in Uber accident claims. You read that right. PTSD is a physical brain injury, and about half of car crash victims suffer from one or more forms of this injury. 

Most brain injuries are trauma related. This trauma is usually internal. When victims’ necks violently snap back and forth, their brains slam against the inside of their skulls. But PTSD is a chemical change injury. Severe stress, like the stress of intense combat or a car accident, enlarges the amygdala (area of the brain that governs emotional responses) and shrinks the hippocampus (logical responses). The resulting imbal;ance causes depression, flashback, anger, and other classic PTSD symptoms.

Victim stress is magnified in Uber accident claims. A ridesharing crash is a violation of trust as well as a crash. The victim trusted the driver to provide safe transportation.

All head injuries, including PTSD, are difficult to treat. An experienced Newark personal injury lawyer connects victims with the medical help they need. This prompt intervention prevents early-stage PTSD from spiraling into something much worse.

Normal Stress Response

Bassically, NSR is pre-PTSD. Car crashes are disconcerting, to say the least. All these victims are shaken up and unable to think or act normally in the wake of an Uber accident.

This effect is one reason Uber accident victims shouldn’t reach out to company representatives and discuss crashes. People who aren’t thinking clearly shouldn’t make recorded statements to insurance adjusters. But that’s the subject of a different blog.

Talking-it-out therapy usually addresses NSR and prevents pre-PTSD from becoming full PTSD. Most victims talk it out informally with a spouse, friend, or relative. But many people don’t have such people to turn to. So, a Union County Uber accident lawyer often connects such victims with online resources, such as chat rooms, where victims find sympathetic ears.

This step may not sound like much. But to a victim struggling with serious physical and emotional car crash injuries, this simple step could make all the difference in the world.

Acute Stress Disorder

NSR is more like pre-pre-PTSD. ASD is more properly described as pre-PTSD. Normal Stress Responses is, well, normal. Acute Stress Disorder is abnormal, as evidenced by the D-word (disorder).

The difference between NSR and ASD is like the difference between situational depression and clinical depression. Everyone gets “the blues” at one time or another, usually because of death in the family, job loss, divorce, or a similar life event. Situational depression disappears once situations improve. However, clinical depression is a more serious matter. It’s a chemical condition that usually requires chemical treatment.

ASD’s chemical aspect requires more aggressive treatment that usually includes a combination of therapy and medication. PTSD therapy is often hit and miss. Everyone responds to therapy differently. Furthermore, PTSD medications generally treat the symptoms of this injury, such as anger, flashbacks, and depression. But these drugs usually don’t treat the injury itself.

The bottom line is that ASD is manageable through a combination of individual and group therapy, closely supervised medication, and intensive, psychiatrist-designed treatments.

Uncomplicated PTSD

Most Uber accident victims struggle with uncomplicated PTSD, which means a single event caused the injury. 

The good news is that uncomplicated PTSD is the easiest form of advanced PTSD to treat. The bad news is the symptoms are much more severe and often overlap. For example, if Angela has nightmares, she doesn’t sleep well and cannot effectively function during the day. As a result, she has a hard time interacting with others, and she gets caught in a downward spiral.

This disturbing video demonstrates the severity of uncomplicated PTSD, as well as the effectiveness of  PTSD treatments. Note that the victims in this video are never “cured.” Even in their happy ending shots, they continue to display some symptoms. These symptoms include not only physical symptoms, but also emotional symptoms, such as avoidance, nightmares, flashbacks, irritability, moodswings, and mistrust.

For this reason, PTSD victims usually incur lifelong medication, therapy, and other medical bills. A North Jersey Uber accident lawyer must ensure that a judgement or settlement includes these costs. Otherwise, the victim may be financially responsible for them.

Complex PTSD

In a way, complex PTSD is “straw that broke the camel’s back” PTSD. However, as victims will attest, this condition is not a straw.

Whereas complex PTSD is common in high speed Uber crashes, complicated PTSD is more common in low speed Uber crashes. Low speed wrecks usually cause life altering injuries, but not life threatening injuries. So, the stress on the brain is less, at least due to that particular incident.

The cumulative effect of multiple less stressful events causes PTSD. The symptoms of complex and uncomplicated PTSD are somewhat identical. But complex PTSD is harder to treat. These individuals usually have mild antisocial or dissociative disorders, such as extreme introversion. As a result, the chemical imbalance also causes additional symptoms, such as extreme aggression, substance abuse, and uncontrollable sexual urges. Other additional symptoms include rage and panic attacks.

If a pre-existing condition, like a prior stressful event, contributes to an Uber wreck-related injury, a Somerset County personal injury lawyer can obtain full compensation. Uber cannot blame victims for their own injuries, or blame their lifestyles for these injuries, and thereby reap a financial windfall. 

Comorbid PTSD

The pre-existing condition rule also applies to comorbid PTSD. These victims usually either have a mental health condition, like depression, at the time of the wreck, or they self-medicate their PTSD with alcohol and drugs.

To achieve maximum results, doctors usually treat all conditions at the same time. If Sam’s PTSD causes an addiction to pain pills, he must probably go through intense PTSD treatments and intense in-patient detox at the same time.

Self-medication usually bumps PTSD up one level, such as from uncomplicated PTSD to comorbid PTSD or from NSR to ASD. Only a doctor should determine the type of PTSD and only a doctor should treat it.

Connect With a Diligent Bergen County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Newark, contact CourtLaw. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.