Everywhere you look are adverts on how to claim for compensation if you’re ever in an accident. Whether that is at work, at home or on the road, accidents are a huge money spinner in the insurance world. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; insurance is there to protect you when the worst things happen and accidents are bad things. Sometimes, the recovery from an accident can be harder than handling the accident itself, which is why insurance is a wonderful fall back.
It’s unfortunate, but accidents do happen and they happen scarily often. The type of accident you have is going to impact how you recover from it. The physical, emotional and psychological effects of an accident are all something that need to be considered. You may never envision you’d be the victim of a car accident, but if you are, you need to understand how to cope afterwards. We’ve put together a guide on how you can get the right help for your needs for if you ever find yourself in the position where you have to take care of yourself and your family.
Emotional
Most people don’t think about the emotional side of an accident. If you have a car accident, the initial reaction is shock. Your whole body and your whole emotional spectrum goes completely numb while your body processes what has just happened. It’s not just a physical pain response. After the shock, however, comes the feelings. The anxiety, depression and fear that hit after an accident can be all-consuming. It’s normal to feel trauma after an accident, but it’s not normal to suffer it alone. Closure can be the thing you need most after an accident, so when all the insurance headaches, police reports and physical injuries have healed, the traumatic feelings and the anxiety tends to go away. Mental health is not something to be trifled with and you need to take care of yourself as you would a physical pain. This is why it can be a good idea to get expert help, such as finding a pedestrian accident lawyer from Laborde Earles who can ensure you get the compensation you need, and who will relieve some of the stress you might be feeling because they’ll be working on your behalf.
Psychological
The experience of a stressful accident is psychologically damaging as it can be physically. Similarly to emotional trauma, psychological trauma can be long-lasting. When you cannot move past an accident, this can manifest as post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a serious condition. The symptoms of psychological trauma last a few weeks usually, but in extreme cases can last a few months. Even once things move on, you can still be hit with memories later on which can stop you in your tracks. Having counselling to get past the accident and help you to grieve is important. While you may not have lost anyone, grief is a normal way to process a traumatic experience.
Physical
You may be a ‘lucky’ accident victim, in that you don’t suffer visible injuries. All accident victims suffer some sort of trauma, and physical is the most painful. It’s not just ending up in hospital with broken bones or burns, but even a fender bender can leave you in incredible pain. BoshPhysicalTherapy.com can help you with the physical therapy you would need for deep tissue bruising and issues with bone damage. Sometimes, the stiffness you feel after an accident can last a long time, meaning you need extensive physical therapy to help your body recover. Being stuck in hospital for weeks on end with surgeries and tests is not the way anyone wants to live. Recovery after an accident is difficult in these cases and sometimes the injuries that you sustain in an accident can be life changing. Reliance on pain relief is something you would probably prefer to avoid, so get some advice before hospital discharge.
How long it takes for you to recover after your accident can vary depending on your injuries, but support is key. If you have been in hospital for an extended period of time, you will need to have physical support at home from either care staff, nurses or family members. You can feel very weak and out of control in the first few days of being at home after a hospital stay. If you are lucky enough to have escaped with just bruising, your mental health may well be what is weak. Support, talk therapy and asking for help is so important for your future. An accident in any form can change your life, even if you’re not missing any limbs or dealing with hospital appointments or surgeries. Knowing how to take care of yourself in the long-term is what will make the difference to your health, and your health is what is important. Staying happy and mentally, emotionally and physically healthy after an accident will make such a difference in your life.
