The Emotional Toll of Truck Accidents: Coping and Recovery

The Emotional Toll of Truck Accidents: Coping and Recovery
Calendar icon November 9, 2023
Emotional Toll of Truck Accidents - Cellino Law

Summary:

  • Recovery from truck accident injuries involves both physical and mental healing
  • Survivors of truck accidents often experience serious mental health issues due to their injuries
  • Financial turmoil after truck accidents can compound stress, which may interfere with physical recovery and personal relationships.
  • Coping strategies can include therapy, medication, and seeking compensation through personal injury lawsuits.
  • Pursuing a truck accident settlement can alleviate financial burdens, allowing emotional healing.
  • Non-economic damages, which include emotional losses such as pain and suffering, are eligible for compensation in a truck accident claim

Healing from truck accident injuries is just the beginning of the recovery process for many New Yorkers who have been hurt in truck accidents. After the stitches have closed, the medications have been prescribed, or the physical therapy routine is established, the emotional cost of truck accident injuries continues.

At Cellino Law, we have worked closely with clients who have suffered extensive emotional losses after being severely injured in New York truck accidents in order to help them recover the compensation they deserve. You can schedule a free consultation with one of our outstanding truck accident attorneys by calling us at (888) 888-8888 or completing our online form.

Catastrophic Truck Accident Injuries Leave Survivors With Emotional Scars

Most truck accident survivors do not escape the scene unscathed, physically or emotionally. Truck accident injuries often entail lasting consequences for mobility, cognitive function, and appearance. As a result, truck accident survivors may experience a corresponding loss of self-esteem, become resentful of their body’s limitations, or mourn the loss of their previous quality of life.

For example, you may attend months of agonizing physical therapy with no discernible improvement, struggle to remember basic details about your life due to a head injury, or endure unsolicited commentary about a prominent scar from your truck accident. Given the types of life-altering injuries associated with truck accidents, these reactions are not uncommon. Truck accident injuries may include:

Many survivors of devastating truck accidents experience a vicious cycle. Their injuries are painful and require invasive treatments, which leads to chronic discomfort and financial expense. This creates significant stress that in turn impedes their physical recovery by exacerbating their truck accident injuries.

In addition to enduring a brutal recovery and a forced reckoning with the permanent effects of truck accident injuries, the trauma of experiencing a truck accident can leave a survivor with emotional distress in the form of depression, PTSD, or other mental health issues. 

Supporting a loved one who sustained debilitating truck accident injuries or losing a loved one in a fatal truck accident can also cause significant emotional distress for truck accident survivors, in addition to their own injuries.

After a New York Truck Accident, Financial Turmoil Can Induce Stress

Given the kinds of injuries inflicted in the average New York truck accident, it is common for survivors to struggle financially. A trauma like a spinal cord injury can create over a million dollars in medical bills in the first year alone. This level of expense is usually compounded by a loss of income as a truck accident survivor heals from their injuries, attends medical appointments, and the like.

For most families, paying hefty medical bills with one less source of income requires significant sacrifice. It may be necessary to sell personal possessions, withdraw kids from extra curricular activities, downsize your housing situation, take out loans, and drastically reduce spending, even for essentials.

Financial uncertainty after an accident can create internal feelings of inadequacy and produce tension in close relationships. A truck accident survivor may feel as though they are failing to contribute to the household without a paycheck, and doubt their worth. This guilt and insecurity can manifest as frustration with family and friends, or lead to self-imposed isolation.

Coping with the Emotional Fallout of a New York Truck Accident

There is no single right way to handle the emotional aftermath of a severe truck accident, as each person experiences their injuries differently. Survivors can often benefit from receiving therapy or taking medication, as well as leaning on their friends and family to support them.

Another way to move forward from a devastating truck accident is to pursue compensation for your emotional losses in a New York personal injury lawsuit. The financial reimbursement can help alleviate the burden of medical bills, lost wages, and transportation costs, reducing a significant source of stress for many truck accident survivors.

Receiving a truck accident settlement that acknowledges non-economic damages can also be a validating experience that allows you access the support you need to heal mentally, as well as physically. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you determine and prove the value of your emotional losses to maximize your compensation. 

Contact Cellino Law Today About Your New York Truck Accident Lawsuit

At Cellino Law, we recognize the value of accountability. For a negligent party to truly be held responsible for the injured party’s losses, both financial and emotional costs must be taken into account. Our team of capable truck accident lawyers will work diligently to identify, evaluate, and recover your non-economic damages related to your truck accident injuries.

The personal injury lawyers of Cellino Law can help you navigate liability disputes, gather evidence of the value of your damages, and anticipate the legal obstacles you are likely to encounter as we seek maximum compensation for your losses in a truck accident lawsuit. Our team can be trusted to deliver the results you deserve.

We encourage you to schedule a free consultation by calling us at (888) 888-8888 or completing our online form. A skilled truck accident attorney will walk you through the steps of the personal injury claims process, inform you of your rights, begin assessing what damages you may have sustained, and offer insight into how to approach your New York truck accident lawsuit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of emotional losses can be compensated in a truck accident lawsuit?

Emotional losses fall under the category of non-economic damages in a personal injury claim, as they do not have a standard monetary value. Examples of commonly cited non-economic damages include:

How do I prove that I suffered emotional losses in a New York truck accident lawsuit?

In conjunction with your New York truck accident attorney, you can rely on several sources of evidence to prove that you experienced emotional costs as a result of your truck accident injuries. 

  • Medical records
  • Psychological evaluations
  • Pain journals
  • Expert witness testimony
  • Statements from friends and family
  • Photos or videos

How long does it take to settle a truck accident lawsuit?

The average personal injury claim takes 6 to 18 months to settle, but claims involving truck accidents often skew towards the higher end of that range. This is due in part to the fact that truck accident claims are more likely to involve third-party liability, which can be more difficult to prove. If multiple parties are at fault for your truck accident, this can further delay your truck accident settlement.

Additionally, due to the level of harm caused in most New York truck accidents, non-economic damages usually play a larger role in the claim. Their value is inherently more subjective, so insurance companies have more room to negotiate for a lower settlement, dragging out the process even more.

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Content checked by the personal injury attorney Ross Cellino. As a family man and a trial attorney, I pride myself on winning cases and serving the community. With over 35 years of experience, I understand the function of a jury, how juries arrive at conclusions, and the role that the jury plays in administering justice. I know how to win cases. You can find us in Manhattan, Buffalo, Melville, Rochester, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and other locations throughout New York.

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