What lasting emotional and psychological effects can a serious accident have on survivors?
A Greyhound bus traveling to California was recently involved in a deadly crash in New Mexico. While traveling along Interstate 40, a semi-truck ran head on into the bus, killing eight people and injuring 49 others. It was later determined that the cause of the accident likely stemmed from a blown tire on the semi-truck. Many passengers were asleep at the time of the crash and now suffer from horrifying memories of their near death experience. Our Rio Rancho, New Mexico personal injury lawyers examine the psychological impact of the bus crash on survivors and the potential for recovery of emotional damages from the party responsible.
Emotional Injuries Persist Long After Physical Injuries Heal
Now a month after the fatal Greyhound accident, most of the survivors of the crash have physically healed. But the accident continues to haunt the lives of many. In an interview with a local news station, one survivor reveals that for him the accident is on constant replay in his mind. He has to daily recall the pure fear of being awoken on the bus by screeching tires and screams. He lives with the memories of passengers he had met on the bus who did not survive the crash.
All of the passengers involved in the New Mexico bus crash have suffered damages as their lives will forever be altered by their experience that day. Some may go on to suffer persistent psychological issues like post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. All would benefit from counseling. Many were not pleased with Greyhound’s assistance after the accident, which consisted of placing some survivors on a regular bus to reach their destination.
Damages for Emotional Pain and Suffering
While most people first think of physical injuries as the main damages suffered in a car, truck, or bus accident, an overlooked category of damages involves emotional pain and suffering. In New Mexico and elsewhere across the nation, plaintiffs wrongly injured due to the actions of another can generally recover for medical bills, lost wages, and emotional or psychological pain and suffering. Emotional pain and suffering can be harder to quantify than concrete losses like medical bills, but your personal injury attorney can use advanced calculations to determine the amount in damages you should seek for your lasting emotional suffering.
Posted in: Automobile Accidents