The most important reason to make sure that you drive safely is for the sake of children. Whether you have children as passengers in your car or not, there are always children who are passengers in other cars, and they are particularly vulnerable to the physical and emotional aspects of car accidents. Tragically, car accidents are one of the leading causes of death in children, and they are mostly preventable.
If you have children and you were involved in a car accident, you should consider the impact that it had on your child, even if they were not in the car at the time. Children are perceptive to the emotions of their parents, therefore, they may be emotionally affected by the incident because their parent was harmed. When filing a personal injury claim after being involved in a car accident, you should make sure that the impact that the event has had on your children is also addressed in the lawsuit. The following are ways in which a child can be affected by a car accident.
PTSD when in the car at the time of the accident
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be present in children who witness a car accident. While your child may only have suffered minor cuts and bruises after the accident, the emotional effects could last for many years. The symptoms of PTSD may have a delayed onset: While your kids may seem completely normal in the weeks after the incident, they may start to exhibit symptoms such as nightmares, irrational fears, nervousness and crying.
Affected by a parent’s injury
If your child did not witness the event, they can still be affected. When a parent is injured, this can be scary for a child and will disrupt their routine. They may be very worried about their parent, and may not be able to get the emotional care that they need.
If you have been involved in a car accident, make sure that you are able to show all of the ways that the incident impacted your life when making a personal injury claim.
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