Hawk Law Group | October 8, 2022 | Car Accidents

Are You Suffering from PTSD After a Car Crash?

A car accident can leave more than just physical injuries—it can cause deep emotional trauma. Unlike a visible injury, PTSD isn’t always recognized, making it harder to get the support and compensation you deserve. 

Flashbacks, anxiety, and fear of driving can make even simple tasks feel overwhelming.

You don’t have to suffer in silence. 

Understanding PTSD, its symptoms, and your legal rights can help you regain control—and a skilled car accident lawyer can fight for the compensation you need to recover.

How PTSD Develops After a Car Accident

Why Do Some People Develop PTSD While Others Don’t?

After a traumatic event like a car crash, your brain triggers a fight-or-flight response, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to help protect you. 

In some cases, the brain overreacts, causing normal situations—like sitting in traffic or hearing a honking horn—to feel life-threatening.

Not everyone who experiences a car accident will develop PTSD. However, certain risk factors increase the likelihood, such as:

  • Severe or life-threatening accidents (rollovers, multi-car crashes, head-on collisions)
  • Losing a loved one in the crash
  • Suffering severe physical injuries (such as traumatic brain injuries)
  • Previous trauma or mental health conditions (like anxiety or depression)

Even minor accidents can lead to PTSD. It’s not just about how bad the crash was—it’s about how your brain processes the trauma.

5 Signs and Symptoms of PTSD After a Car Accident

PTSD can show up in many ways—sometimes immediately, but often weeks or even months later. Here are some common symptoms.

1. Flashbacks & Intrusive Thoughts

For many car accident victims, the trauma doesn’t end when the wreckage is cleared. 

It lingers—suddenly, unexpectedly—through vivid flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts that make it feel like the crash is happening all over again.

Symptoms:

  • Vivid flashbacks (feeling like the accident is happening all over again)
  • Nightmares about the crash
  • Obsessive thoughts about what happened, including self-blame (“If only I had braked sooner…”)
💡 Example: You’re driving on the highway and suddenly hear a loud bang. Your heart races, your palms sweat, and your mind instantly replays your accident—even though you’re in no immediate danger.

2. Avoidance Behavior

Sometimes avoiding reminders of the crash isn’t just a choice—it feels like the only way to stay safe. 

The idea of driving again might send a wave of panic through your body. Even riding as a passenger can feel unbearable, as if you’re one wrong move away from another collision.

Symptoms:

  • Driving altogether
  • Taking longer routes to avoid the accident location
  • Avoiding conversations about the accident
  • Feeling anxious even sitting in the passenger seat
💡 Example: You used to enjoy road trips, but now even short drives send you into a panic. Instead of driving yourself, you rely on public transport or friends to get around.

3. Severe Anxiety & Panic Attacks

PTSD doesn’t just bring back the trauma of the crash—it reshapes how you experience the world. 

Ordinary situations that once felt routine can now feel dangerous, unpredictable, and overwhelming.

Symptoms:

  • Racing heart, dizziness, or nausea when triggered
  • Feeling constantly on edge
  • Sudden panic attacks for no apparent reason
💡 Example: You’re stopped at a red light when you hear screeching tires. Even though the sound is completely unrelated to your crash, your brain treats it as a threat, causing an intense panic attack.

4. Emotional Numbing & Depression

You may find yourself disconnected from loved ones, struggling to engage in conversations, or going through the motions of daily life without really being present. 

Hobbies and activities that once brought happiness now feel meaningless. It’s not that you don’t care—it’s that your mind has shut down emotions as a way to cope with the trauma.

Symptoms:

  • Feel detached from family and friends
  • Lose interest in hobbies or work
  • Experience extreme guilt or hopelessness
💡 Example: You used to be an outgoing, social person. Now, you cancel plans, ignore calls, and withdraw from loved ones—not because you don’t care, but because you feel emotionally disconnected.

5. Sleep Disturbances

PTSD doesn’t stop when the day ends—it follows you into the night, making sleep feel like a battle you can’t win. Just as you start to drift off, memories of the crash creep in, jolting you awake. 

Nightmares replay the moment over and over, leaving you exhausted before the morning even comes.

Symptoms:

  • Insomnia (trouble falling or staying asleep)
  • Recurring nightmares about the accident
  • Waking up in a panic
💡 Example: You dread bedtime because you know you’ll have nightmares. The lack of sleep leaves you exhausted and irritable during the day.

How PTSD Can Affect Your Ability to Work

PTSD doesn’t just impact your mental health—it can make it impossible to work, leading to lost wages and financial stress.

Common work challenges for PTSD sufferers:

  • Lack of focus – Struggling with tasks that once felt easy
  • Increased absenteeism – Calling in sick due to anxiety or panic attacks
  • Avoidance of work-related driving – Delivery drivers, rideshare workers, and salespeople may lose their jobs if they can’t drive
  • Strained workplace relationships – Irritability and mood swings may create tension with coworkers
💡 Example: A rideshare driver with PTSD can’t bring themselves to get back on the road, meaning they lose their main source of income.

Getting Diagnosed with PTSD

Most doctors recognize PTSD as a treatable health issue. But many accident victims feel reluctant to discuss their symptoms with their physicians. This may be due to many reasons, such as the fear of how their symptoms will be perceived by others. 

If you have experienced symptoms of PTSD, it is important to discuss them with your doctor. They can assess your symptoms and recommend a treatment provider. Both your doctor and therapist owe you a duty of confidentiality. This means they cannot discuss a PTSD diagnosis with anyone without your permission.

Treatment for PTSD

Sometimes, symptoms go away over time. A minor car crash might only produce mild PTSD that lasts a few weeks or months for example.

But often, PTSD symptoms require treatment. This treatment could include a combination of anti-anxiety medication and therapy. Mental health therapy for PTSD could include:

  • Identifying Triggers – Triggers can be sounds, sights, or even smells that bring back the trauma, like honking horns or the intersection where the crash happened. Therapy helps you recognize these triggers so you can anticipate and manage them.
  • Managing the Response to Triggers – Once triggers are identified, you’ll learn techniques like deep breathing, grounding exercises, and gradual exposure therapy to reduce panic and regain a sense of control.
  • Addressing Negative Emotions About the Trauma – Many PTSD sufferers struggle with guilt, shame, or self-blame after an accident. Therapy helps reframe these thoughts, reinforcing that the accident wasn’t your fault and allowing you to process emotions in a healthier way.
  • Reprocessing the Trauma – Techniques like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) help your brain store traumatic memories differently, so they no longer feel like an immediate danger—allowing you to move forward without fear.

Group and family therapy can also help you process the trauma and the emotions surrounding it. These treatments help the brain recognize that triggers do not need to evoke the stress response to protect your life.

Can You Get Compensation for PTSD After a Car Accident?

Yes. PTSD is a real and diagnosable condition, and you may be entitled to compensation for:

✔ Medical expenses (therapy, medication, psychiatric care)
✔ Lost wages if PTSD prevents you from working
✔ Pain and suffering for emotional distress

How to Prove PTSD in a Car Accident Claim

Insurance companies often challenge PTSD claims, but our experienced lawyers can help you gather:

  • Medical records diagnosing PTSD
  • Therapy bills and medication receipts
  • Statements from family, friends, or coworkers confirming behavioral changes
  • Police reports and accident records

Don’t Let This Control Your Life—Get A PTSD Lawyer

You don’t have to go through this alone. 

Seeking medical treatment and legal guidance can help you regain control and secure the financial support you need to move forward.

At Hawk Law Group, we’ve helped countless accident victims recover compensation for PTSD and other serious injuries.

📞 Call us today at (706) 705-8956 or visit our office at 338 Telfair St, Augusta, GA for a FREE consultation.

🚨 No fees unless we win your case!