If you’ve never been in a car accident before, you likely have no idea of the actual impact it can have on you and your family. This is especially true in serious accidents. When injuries or fatalities result from a car accident it can turn a family’s life upside down. You may not have been able to avoid this traumatic incident from occurring, but you can lessen the blow to your family by following the advice provided below.
Psychological Impact
A serious car accident is a traumatic event that can have a psychological impact on those involved and their families. Some people end up suffering from mental illnesses like PTSD and depression as a result. Reliving the accident over and over can often cause panic and anxiety while dealing with serious injuries or the loss of a loved one can result in depression.
Mental illness doesn’t just impact one person. When a member of the family suffers emotionally, they are not themselves. They are often isolated, moody, sad, on edge, and even angry. Seeing someone you love go through these emotions can cause sadness for everyone in the household.
Getting past the psychological impact of a car accident will require time, patience, and effort. Talk with a therapist can help you sort through your emotions and get past your anxiety triggers. They can also help you get through the grieving process and/or adapt to a new normal if you’ve suffered permanent injuries that have altered your lifestyle.
Financial Impact
Car accidents also have a grave financial impact on families. Accidents are expensive to recover from. There are medical bills, insurance deductibles, and, money missed from time out of work. Depending on how long it will take you to recover physically from the accident, this financial strain could go on for months or even years placing an undue amount of stress on your finances.
Though having insurance can help cover the costs of repairing your vehicle from the accident, it often isn’t enough. You miss time from work and there are also medical expenses that have to be covered. That’s why it is highly recommended that if you’ve sustained injuries in an accident that you contact a personal injury lawyer like Mike Pines to assist you. If there is sufficient evidence that the accident wasn’t caused by you, a personal injury attorney can help get you the compensation to cover those medical bills and pay for the time you’re out of work. This takes a lot of the financial strain off your shoulders so you can focus on recovering from the accident.
Structural Impact
The very structure of a family can be negatively impacted by a serious accident. The person or persons that are injured likely can’t do things they did prior to the accident. That could change the dynamics of routines and day to day responsibilities for some time. For instance, if mom broke her leg in an accident, she isn’t able to get the kids to school, clean, cook dinner, or any other responsibilities that she’s used to doing. In a more extreme example, if someone passed away in the accident, the family suffers from their absence.
Both children and adults need structure in their daily lives. So, when the structure is threatened or changed for a period of time, it is important to figure out a way to pick up the slack. This may mean asking extended-family and friends to pitch in until you get better. Having other adults available to provide you with support and to maintain normalcy in the lives of your children will reduce a lot of stress enhancing your healing process. The same is true if someone has passed away. While allowing some flexibility during the grieving process is highly recommended, after a while it is imperative to get back into your daily routines and habits. Having loved ones on hand can help make this possible.
You may know what to do in a car accident, but what about after? No one realizes just how difficult it can be to get past such a traumatic event. Though the hope is that nothing like this ever happens to you or a family member, the reality is, you never know. Therefore, it is best to be prepared by knowing what could occur and the proper steps to getting through it to better days.
Nickida
Nickida is a first-generation Trinidadian American wife and mother of four. She enjoys sharing recipes from her childhood growing up in Trinidad with her readers. Nickida has a son with Autism and shares posts around traveling with a child with special needs to help other families like her own. She loves television, movies and is a true 80's baby.
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