How Does One Car Accident Change Your Life Forever?

While you may think you’ve left your latest car accident behind you, over time, you may experience things that will show you just how affected you actually are. It is said that a car accident is one of the most life-changing situations you can experience.

It can change everything, from your medical condition, mental stability, and financial situation, all the way to the perspective you have on life.

Yes, a car accident may not only cause you injuries and other damages. Such an event can also cause mental instability and suffering and leave you with lasting trauma. For example, suppose you talk to an experienced car accident attorney.

In that case, they will tell you that, besides seeking compensation for medical expenses, they also seek compensation on behalf of their clients based on the trauma and psychological issues they had as a result of their car crash.

There are many things that will most certainly change following your car crash, and here are some changes that are almost guaranteed:

The Way You Commute

After a car accident, you may start being afraid of driving your car again. At that moment, you will realize how much you actually rely on your vehicle in your day-to-day life.

From picking the kids up from school, getting groceries, or going to the bank, every obligation will be that much harder to do if you are unable to use your car. Even if you are not afraid to drive your car, you still might not be able to because your car is wrecked and needs to be repaired or replaced.

Your Schedule

Provided you are not seriously injured, your life will get a lot busier after your car accident. Suddenly there will be so much to do and so many appointments.

Your time will be filled with therapies and doctor appointments, but also with consultations with your personal injury attorney, gathering evidence with a trip or two to the pharmacy if you have the time to spare. Not to mention all other regular obligations like getting dinner and taking care of the kids.

This tempo is likely to continue as long as your car accident claim is open and until you reach a settlement, which can sometimes last for months or even a year.

Mental Wellbeing

The shock of being in a car accident can break even the strongest of minds and lead to severe emotional trauma and PTSD. Trauma, depression, and anxiety are common with car accident victims, and some are so serious that help from a therapist is required.

It is also not uncommon that some people get traumatized so much that they won’t drive in a car ever again, or they need to take medication just to be driven in one as a passenger.

Physical Wellbeing

When it comes to a car accident, injuries you can sustain in one can vary from minor to life-threatening. A car accident may cause a few scrapes and bruises, but it can also cause brain trauma and head injuries that can leave you on life support.

Limb amputations are also very common as some people get stuck inside the wreck of their car, cutting off the flow of blood in their limbs. Spine, back, and neck injuries sustained in a car accident can cause different levels of paralysis but also leave you feeling back pain for the rest of your life. Because of these injuries, your life may never be the same, and you’ll start viewing time as ”before” and ”after” your car accident.

Grieving

When you lose a loved one in a car accident, it happens abruptly and without warning. The suddenness of this is what can tear your heart in two, and grieving after a loved one you just heard yesterday is an extremely difficult process.

PTSD, trauma, depression, and anxiety are all common when this happens, and they usually come all together and at once.

But, most of all, losing a loved one in a car accident doesn’t give you time to say goodbye and leaves you with many regrets that can affect the rest of your life.

Relationships

Due to your injuries, you may end up being in constant pain. The pain may cause you aggravation which you may project on your loved ones. This is, after all, what we all do when we are in pain. But taking your stress out on your loved ones may cause them to leave you to your own devices and affect many meaningful relationships in your life.

Finances

Following your car accidents, your financial situation will never be the same. Car repair bills will pile up simultaneously with the medical treatment bills. However, until you and your car accident lawyer manage to recover your compensation, your credit card will take a hit.

In the best-case scenario, your compensation will cover all your losses, as well as your credit card debt, and leave you with something on the side. However, positive zero is a perfectly fine place to be following a car accident if you know that it can be so much worse.