Following a serious car accident in Connecticut, injured victims have the right to file personal injury claims to pursue damages related to the crash. However, while many auto accident-related injuries are obvious, others, like post-traumatic stress disorder, are not clearly visible and can be difficult to prove.

When filing civil court claims, car accident victims suffering from PTSD will typically need to obtain expert medical witness testimony to show that their diagnoses were directly caused by their car accidents. However, it can sometimes be difficult to prove that a person’s PTSD diagnosis resulted from the car crash, especially if he or she was previously diagnosed with the condition or experienced another tragic circumstance recently. In some cases, while an individual’s PTSD diagnosis may not be directly attributed to an auto accident, he or she could experience a flare up of symptoms, which may be blamed on the crash.

The timing of the settlement can also prove to be problematic. In many cases, people who have been injured in crashes settle their cases within six months to a year later without filing a claim. Often, PTSD victims may not realize they have the condition until many months later, especially if they do not have strong support networks. According to the laws in most states, whenever an individual settles his or her claim, it is not possible to reopen the case even if the injury was undiscovered. There are a few extraordinary circumstances that merit cases being reopened, including if either party used fraud or misrepresentation to induce an individual to sign a settlement agreement.

Car crash victims who go on to suffer from PTSD may benefit from speaking with a local attorney about pursuing compensation for their injuries. In some situations, all the parties involved may agree to a settlement without going to court.