Concussion After a Car Accident: Understanding What a Settlement May Involve

Can a Car Accident Cause PTSD? Concussion Symptoms and Florida Claim Steps

Responsible attorney: Igor Hernandez, one of the lawyers at CHG Personal Injury Lawyers, a Florida-based personal injury firm.

Yes. A car accident can cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental-health condition recognized in the DSM-5 that can develop after a frightening, life-threatening event. Research published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information shows that motor vehicle accidents are among the leading causes of PTSD in the general population.

If you are searching for the average settlement for a concussion car accident claim, here is the honest answer: no single figure applies to every case. The facts of your crash, your injuries, and your records all matter. No lawyer can promise a particular result or amount.

This page explains:

• What PTSD after a crash looks like
• How concussions and other head injuries connect to lasting symptoms
• The steps to take now to protect your health and your claim
• How Florida law affects a claim

Why PTSD can follow a crash

When your brain registers a crash as life-threatening, your nervous system activates a protective response. After the danger passes, that response can stay switched on. This is PTSD.

PTSD is not a sign of weakness. It is a real change in how the brain and nervous system respond to threat. Researchers have studied differences in brain activity in people with PTSD compared to people without it. That is why symptoms can feel overwhelming and often do not go away through willpower alone.

Severity of damage does not decide who develops PTSD. Some people develop it after a low-speed fender-bender. Others are in a severe crash and do not. What matters is how the brain and body experience the threat.

What PTSD from a car accident looks like

PTSD looks different in each person. The core pattern includes reliving the crash, avoiding reminders of it, and staying on high alert.

Flashbacks. Memories can feel so vivid that your body reacts as if the crash is happening again. Your heart races and you may sweat, even though you are safe.

Avoidance. Some people develop intense anxiety about driving or panic at the thought of getting behind the wheel. Others avoid the intersection where the crash happened or refuse to ride as passengers.

Intrusive thoughts and nightmares. Unwanted memories of the impact return without warning. Nightmares about the crash are common, and many people wake in a panic.

Emotional numbness and mood changes. You may feel disconnected from people you love, lose interest in activities you once enjoyed, or feel irritable. Some people blame themselves or others for the crash.

Hypervigilance and startle. You may constantly scan for danger. A car horn or a sudden movement can make you jump.

Sleep and physical symptoms. Insomnia, headaches, dizziness, chest tightness, stomach problems, or muscle tension can occur without a clear medical cause. Tell your doctor about every symptom you notice.

Concussions, brain injury, and lasting symptoms

A concussion is a brain injury. Head injuries can cause symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, memory or concentration problems, sleep changes, and mood changes. For some people, these symptoms last well beyond the first days after the crash.

Concussion symptoms and PTSD symptoms can overlap. Trouble concentrating, irritability, and poor sleep can come from either condition, or both. Not everyone with a concussion develops PTSD, and not everyone with PTSD had a head injury. Your doctors can evaluate both possibilities. Follow their instructions for testing, treatment, and follow-up.

Is anxiety after a minor car accident normal?

Yes. Even a low-speed collision can cause shakiness, a racing heart, or anxiety. Your body’s fight-or-flight response activates because the event was sudden.

Many people feel better as days pass. Anxiety that is part of a normal recovery usually eases over time.

The key distinction: If anxiety lasts more than a few weeks, gets worse, or interferes with daily life, talk to your doctor or a mental-health professional. You may be avoiding driving, missing work, or pulling away from family. These can signal PTSD or another condition that needs professional support.

How PTSD shows up in children

Children often cannot describe PTSD the way adults can. Their symptoms usually appear as behavior changes:

• Regression, such as bedwetting or thumb-sucking
• Clinginess and fear of separation from a parent or caregiver
• Refusing to ride in cars, or fear during car rides
• Nightmares and sleep problems
• Repeated play that re-enacts the crash
• Stomachaches or headaches with no clear medical cause
• A drop in school performance

If you notice these changes, contact your child’s pediatrician. Early attention can help your child work through what happened.

When loved ones struggle

If someone you love is struggling after a crash, their irritability, withdrawal, or avoidance is not a choice or a character flaw. It is often their nervous system trying to protect them. Therapy, support groups, and counseling can help the injured person and the family recover together.

Risk factors for PTSD after a car accident

Not everyone who is in a crash develops PTSD. Factors that can increase risk include:

• Crash severity. Crashes with injuries, deaths, or major vehicle damage carry higher risk.
• Personal history. Prior trauma, existing anxiety or depression, or a family history of mental-health conditions can increase vulnerability.
• The nature of the impact. Being trapped, losing consciousness, or seeing serious injury to others can raise the risk.
• Limited support. Isolation after a crash can make recovery harder.
• Ongoing stress. Medical bills, lost income, and unresolved legal issues can prolong symptoms.

How long does PTSD last?

There is no fixed timeline. Some people improve within weeks or months. Others have symptoms for years without treatment.

Early care matters. Talking with a mental-health professional, starting therapy, or joining a support group can help. Treatments that doctors may discuss include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-focused therapy, and medication such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Follow your doctor’s guidance on any treatment plan.

Your next-step checklist after a crash

1. Get medical care and follow your doctors’ instructions. This includes any mental-health care they recommend. Attend follow-up visits.
2. Request the crash report. Under Florida Statute § 316.066, a Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form, must be completed and submitted to the department within 10 days after an investigation is completed by the law enforcement officer who in the regular course of duty investigates a motor vehicle crash that resulted in death of, personal injury to, or any indication of complaints of pain or discomfort by any of the parties or passengers involved in the crash. Request the crash report. Under Florida Statute § 316.066, a Florida Traffic Crash Report, Long Form, must be completed when a crash involves death, personal injury, or complaints of pain.
3. Keep records of your symptoms. Write down flashbacks, sleep problems, panic episodes, and headaches. Note the date and what happened.
4. Track missed work and expenses. Keep pay stubs, schedules, receipts, and bills.
5. Save appointment records and provider notes. Keep therapy and treatment records together.
6. Contact our firm promptly. Deadlines apply, as explained below.

Florida law: time limits, damages, and fault

Time limits. Florida Statute § 95.11 sets the time limits for starting most lawsuits in Florida, other than actions for recovery of real property. Deadlines apply to these claims. Missing one can end your right to sue, so contact us promptly.

What damages can include:

• Medical treatment for a concussion or other brain injury
• Follow your doctors’ guidance on any treatment you need for your health after an injury.
• Lost wages due to treatment or inability to work
• Pain, suffering, and mental anguish, subject to the threshold below

Florida’s no-fault threshold. Under Florida Statute § 627.737, in any tort action against the owner, registrant, operator, or occupant of a motor vehicle with required no-fault security, a plaintiff may recover damages for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and inconvenience from a motor vehicle crash only if the injury consists in whole or in part of:

• A significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function
• A permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement
• Significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement
• Death

This threshold applies to vehicles with the security required by Florida’s no-fault insurance law. Whether your injury meets it is a question for a lawyer to review with your medical records.

Fault. Florida Statute § 768.81 governs how fault is apportioned among people whose conduct contributed to an accident. This is why the facts of how the crash happened matter. The crash report, witness statements, and vehicle evidence can all help show what occurred.

Documentation helps show your claim. Therapy appointments, provider notes, a symptom journal, and records of work or relationship changes show the real, ongoing impact of PTSD on your life.

Frequently asked questions

When to get help right away

If anxiety, flashbacks, or avoidance last more than a few weeks, or they interfere with work, relationships, or daily life, contact a mental-health professional.

If you are having thoughts of hurting yourself, get help now. Call or text 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988), or call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

If you were hurt in a car accident and are now dealing with flashbacks, panic, sleep problems, or changes in your memory or mood, you do not have to sort out the next steps alone. If another driver’s negligence caused the crash, the cost of your treatment may be recoverable through a legal claim.

To talk about your situation, you can schedule a free first consultation. It is confidential and carries no obligation to continue. We represent people throughout Florida, including Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville.

Our lawyers are admitted to The Florida Bar. CHG Personal Injury Lawyers charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery. Your first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation to continue. Every case is different, and no lawyer can promise a particular outcome.