When someone is struck by a car, the outcome can be devastating. Incidents of this nature can lead to serious injuries to those involved. These injuries can be both physical and psychological. After broken bones heal, other issues such as post traumatic stress disorder could arise. The effects of PTSD can be far-reaching and may extend to situations that don’t immediately come to mind.
This is illustrated in a recent pedestrian accident involving a Canadian man. The man was hit by a truck as he walked along the side of a road. He was looking for somewhere to get gas after the vehicle he was driving ran out.
The veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, served in Afghanistan in 2009. As a result of that tour he developed operational stress injury. PTSD falls under the umbrella of this psychological condition. Now recovering from the injuries he suffered in the collision, the man indicated it may have been the PTSD that prompted him to get out of the vehicle to get gas himself, despite having made a call to his father for help. He said he may have ventured into the rainy and dark night because he was not focusing.
Following the incident the man was taken to a hospital for treatment of the bruised aorta, ruptured spleen, broken arm and broken ribs he suffered. Whether the PTSD will be any worse as a result of the collision is not clear.
Psychological injuries can be just as difficult as physical injuries–if not more–to deal with. They can impact the daily life of the person suffering from them, making it difficult to work, or as this situation illustrates, cause them to make decisions they might otherwise not make. As is the case where physical injuries are concerned, if the negligence of someone else is to blame for the psychological injury, it may be possible to secure financial damages. A personal injury lawyer can be of assistance in this situation.