Yes, you can get PTSD from a train accident if you sustained significant injuries or you saw someone else suffer severe or fatal injuries.
What PTSD Looks Like After a Train Wreck
The physical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can include things like:
- Chronic pain
- Weight loss or gain
- Sleep disturbances like insomnia, nightmares, and excess sleep
PTSD can also present with cognitive signs like:
- Difficulty maintaining attention or concentration
- Problems with memory
- Difficulty making decisions
- Confused or cloudy thinking
If someone else died in the train wreck, you might experience survivor’s guilt. You might experience self-blame or shame, particularly if you feel even remotely responsible for the situation (e.g., the deceased person was on the train that day by your invitation).
PTSD is a valid medical condition. If left untreated, PTSD can worsen. You should seek professional medical care if you think you might be developing the illness after a train accident.
The emotional and behavioral aspects of PTSD can take over your life. Some examples of these factors include:
- Self-harming behaviors
- Homicidal thoughts
- Suicidal ideation
- Emotional outbursts
- Depression, anxiety, agitation, and irritability
Damages for PTSD from a Train Accident
PTSD can make it difficult to function well enough to maintain employment or even perform the ordinary tasks of daily life. Because the illness is so disruptive and changes a person’s behavior significantly, PTSD can damage your close interpersonal relationships, leading to divorce and isolation.
Common damages after a train crash include things like:
- Medical expenses to treat your physical injuries, including the ambulance, emergency room, hospital, surgery, diagnostic testing, physicians, prescription drugs, and physical therapy.
- Lost income, for the wages, salary, self-employment, and other income you missed because of the train accident and your recuperation time.
- Diminished earning potential, if you cannot make as much money after the wreck because of your injuries.
- Disability, if you cannot work at all because of your injuries.
- Long-term care, if your injuries cause you to need daily assistance with medical treatment or personal care.
- Pain and suffering for the physical pain and emotional distress you endured.
You can also get compensation for the losses you sustained because of the accident-related PTSD. The specific damages you can recoup will depend on the facts of your case, but per Florida’s train accident laws, people can get compensation for:
- Medical expenses to treat the PTSD
- Lost income if the PTSD from a train accident impacts your ability to maintain full-time or part-time employment or to perform the necessary functions of your job
- Physical pain and psychological distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Long-term emotional harm, like depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and sleep disturbances
- Your spouse’s claim for loss of consortium for the damage to the relationship
Getting Legal Help for PTSD from a Train Accident
You have a limited time to file a lawsuit after a train crash. You can call the Montero Law Center today at 954-767-6500 to get a free case evaluation. We do not charge for the initial consultation. We wait until the end of the case, and then our legal fees come out of the settlement or award. Our train accident lawyers can take care of the legal matters so that you can focus on rebuilding your life.