CONFERENCE EXPLORES IMPACT OF ROAD COLLISIONS ON THE INJURED, FAMILY MEMBERS
At a conference discussing the human impact of road collisions, RTE News reported that “European research has found that depression, anger, anxiety attacks and suicidal feelings are more common in relatives of those disabled by road accidents than the victims themselves.” This ripple effect is not a surprising discovery since often the loved ones of those injured in car crashes have an overwhelming desire to help the injured family member, but become severely frustrated when they can do nothing to relieve the injured person’s residual pain and disability. Unfortunately, this emotional distress suffered by family members is not typically a compensable injury in Illinois.
The conference-goers also discussed another study of U.S. car crash victims “which found that two years after a collision 40% of victims had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] and 90% had developed driving difficulties.”
"The Psychological Impact of Litigation: Compensation Neurosis, Malingering, PTSD, Secondary Traumatization, and Other Lessons From MVAs," 55 DePaul L. Rev. 627 (2005-2006), documented the studies of the Albany Motor Vehicle Accident Project (Albany Project), which also concluded that approximately forty percent of car crash victims developed PTSD within two years after a crash. The Albany researchers set out to determine whether the predominant thinking in the 1980s -- that the diagnosis of PTSD required trauma outside the range of usual experience, like combat – was true. Id. at 617-8. Over a five-year period, the Albany Project studied 158 car crash victims to assess the psychological impact on the victims for up to two years. After performing extensive studies, the researchers successfully debunked old thoughts about the disorder, concluding that car crash victims can, and do, in fact suffer from PTSD. Id. at 619.
The attorneys at the Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll have over twenty years of experience representing individuals injured in car accidents. Jeffrey J. Kroll and his associates have extensive experience trying cases involving PTSD. Jeff obtained a multi-million dollar verdict for a woman who suffered PTSD following a collision. Last year, Jeff obtained a verdict for an individual suffering from PTSD following a CTA Blue Line derailment. Medill Reports Chicago interviewed Jeff and his client after obtaining the verdict. See the article here.
Additionally, Jeff’s article, "Dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder", was published by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin last year.
