Depression may result after a drunk driver accident in Fulton County causes injuries. Depression may result from shock, coping with injuries or losing a loved one. Understand that DUI victims have legal options when it comes to seeking treatment -- and compensation -- for their condition. The days following a serious car crash can be confusing and frustrating, especially as victims try to cope with the trauma they’ve experienced.
Regardless of whether bodily injury occurred, when victims begin to feel frequent irritability, mood changes or difficulty with relationships, depression may be to blame. While it’s normal to feel some apprehension in the days after a drunk driver caused your accident in Fulton County, if your emotional trauma continues for weeks or months and isn’t treated, serious problems can result.
After you seek the help you need, consider whether filing a Georgia personal injury claim may be right for you. After all, the drunk driver’s actions led to your condition.
Signs of Depression after a Drunk Driver Causes Your Accident
If you’re the victim of a drunk driver, recognizing if you have this often disabling condition after your crash is extremely important. The longer your condition remains untreated, the more serious it can become. Chronic health problems and risk of suicide are primary concerns. If you’ve been injured in your crash, your health care providers may identify symptoms and recommend you to a therapist or counselor for treatment. Other times, a concerned family member or friend may be able to recognize changes in behavior.
You may suffer from depression if you experience any of the following symptoms:
• irritability;
• anxiety;
• feelings of social isolation;
• family problems;
• difficulty at work;
• substance/alcohol abuse; and
• thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide.
A doctor’s diagnosis can also be a helpful tool if you decide to seek compensation for the impact the trauma has had on your life.
Even though a car accident may last only a second, its impact can have lifelong ramifications. For starters, victims of a drunk driver may experience serious and debilitating injuries that interfere with daily life. Even with injuries like a broken leg, a victim will not be able to drive for several weeks, which can interfere with the ability to work and even take away a sense of independence.
Emotional trauma can range from the reluctance to drive or a phobia of the accident location to full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder, a psychological issue that can significantly hamper a victim’s ability to function normally in society and handle day-to-day responsibilities.
Seeking Compensation after a Drunk Driver Causes your Accident
Even though depression cannot be physically seen like a broken leg, bruises or deep lacerations, it can have just as much impact on your life.
Seeking help from an attorney in Fulton County who represents DUI victims can provide some guidance. Your attorney will let you make the decisions in your case, but at the same time will provide some crucial insight, like using arrest records to help your case. For instance, if the drunk driver who caused your accident in Fulton County has been convicted of DUI in the past, you may be entitled to higher damages.
