When a person has been injured in a vehicle accident, a barrage of psychological injuries sometimes follow, including shock, pain, fear and anxiety. While some tragedies may be similar, they affect each individual differently based on a range of factors such as age, type of accident, injuries sustained and preexisting mental traumas. However, most psychological injuries are not always immediately visible.  As a result, some individuals may be in denial or dismissive of their symptoms, believing that they are minor and can be easily managed or simply ignored.

A seemingly minor headache may be symptomatic of a much bigger issue and when left untreated, can have a debilitating effect on your life.  These changes whether subtle or substantial are relevant in ways that can either support or not your personal injury case.  The same applies to seemingly minor physical injuries such as bruising and cuts, which can develop into more serious medical issues.

A psychological injuries that can be sustained after a trauma is posttraumatic stress disorder.  There are some risk factors that can increase the likelihood of PTSD after a car accident, including: a history of trauma, prior diagnosed mental conditions (such as anxiety and panic disorder), history of drug and/or alcohol abuse, history of family mental illness and other phobias. The most common symptoms associated with PTSD after a car accident, include difficulty or avoiding traveling, difficulty being in a vehicle even as a passenger, recurring flashbacks, nightmares, avoiding places (like the scene of the accident) and activities, insomnia, anxiety, etc.

At Burn Tucker Lachaîne, we often stress the importance of being professionally assessed by a person in the appropriate medical field, in order to get properly diagnosed and treated for your injuries.  Not only does this benefit you physically, it also allows us to fully understand the extent of your injuries and losses with little room for challenge from insurance adjusters.

It is wise to speak with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after being injured.  This is the only way to ensure that your rights are protected and that you are aptly represented against insurance companies whose primary concern may not be your just compensation.

If you have not spoken to a personal injury lawyer and are considering speaking to an insurance adjuster about your claim, you may be at a disadavantage.  There are many tactics that the insurer may use to lower your compensation amount.   

If you have not spoken with a lawyer, you may or may not have a settlement amount in mind.  In our experience, clients can either severely minimize the value of their claim or have excessively high and unrealistic expectations of what their compensation should be.

Active communication with our clients is one of the primary focuses of our team of personal injury lawyers. We can effectively assess your case by taking into consideration factors such as the length of your recovery period, types of injuries associated with the accident (short-term, long-term, orthopedic, psychological or soft tissue injuries), medical expenses, lost wages, disruptions and changes to your life (such as missed vacations, school, work) etc.  

The Ottawa personal injury lawyers at Burn Tucker Lachaîne take the job of representing all our clients very seriously.  Our primary goal is to protect your right to a fair compensation after a car accident or other kind of accidents.  We help present the best case possible to avoid the lengthy and sometimes deliberately delayed bureaucracy of insurance claims.

Help protect yourself and your loved ones after an accident.  Be aware of how your actions can either strengthen or weaken your personal injury case.  Always have your case assessed by a knowledgeable and experienced personal injury law firm who can properly advise you of your legal options in pursuing compensation. Our team at Burn Tucker Lachaîne can help you. Call our Ottawa or Hawkesbury office for a no-obligation consultation today.