Getting a near-fatal accident can make you reflect on your life. You could’ve died, but fate had other plans. This can motivate you to stop taking things for granted from now on. But if your injuries have disabled you, you may also have mixed feelings about your survival. After all, a disability may take away some of your independence.
But that’s not often the most challenging part. Instead, it’s coping with the mental and emotional trauma. If your injuries have come from a car accident, you may never look at cars and roads the same way again. If you got it from a work-related accident, then you may never be able to be in the same field or industry again. Either situation can change your life in a way you haven’t prepared yourself for.
Not to mention, a near-fatal accident often involves a liable party, meaning someone was responsible for your injuries. This can cause additional stress on you and your family’s part. But you can’t just let the liable party walk free, even if it would create less trouble. It’s important to seek justice if you could’ve avoided your near-fatal injuries if someone just acted responsibly.
Hence, your recovery won’t just include medical and psychological treatments. It would also include possible court appearances. That said, take it slow and let this be your guide to full recovery:
1. Prioritize Your Physical Injuries
Before calling a lawyer or your insurance company, look at your injuries first. Don’t downplay your injuries, especially if you got hit on the head, even if you feel fine. The symptoms of a head injury may not appear right away. Such is familiar with traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
Hence, seek urgent medical care immediately after the accident. If you’re in a car accident, don’t wait for the offending driver to call the ambulance for you.
If it’s a companion who got severely injured, call the ambulance immediately as well. Ideally, you should also know how to give first aid to relieve your companion’s pain. But if you can’t perform it, at least try to move your companion to a safe place. It can help them breathe if their airways have been blocked. If they’ve fallen unconscious, you should administer CPR right away.
If you see blood on you or your companion, get a clean cloth and press it firmly on the wound. Call emergency services and don’t stop applying pressure on the wound until it stops bleeding.
Prioritize addressing injuries instead of pointing fingers. You should call your legal counsel or insurer only when you’re all safe and settled.
2. Receive the Appropriate Treatment
Getting a severe injury can induce feelings of denial. This would make you insist that you’re fine when you’re not. The same thing can happen if a loved one is badly injured. You’d desperately believe that nothing worse will happen to them. But the opposite may happen if you insist that they don’t need to stay in the hospital.
Listen to the doctor and receive the appropriate treatment. Worry about the costs later; it will be taken care of if you are insured. And if someone caused the injury, they’re legally required to compensate for the treatment costs. However, don’t think about those while you or your loved one is treated. At this point, your life or theirs is more important than anything.
3. Get Legal Advice
When your serious injury has been treated, wait until you gain the headspace to recall what happened. This is the time to seek legal advice.
If your injuries resulted from a crash with a truck, call an experienced truck accident lawyer. They specialize in personal injury cases caused by reckless truck drivers. They’ll ensure that the truck driver or their employer doesn’t get away from the ordeal they’ve brought upon you.
If you got injured due to a work-related accident, your worker’s compensation should take effect. No charges will be filed in this scenario because the worker’s compensation waives your right to sue your employer for negligence.
4. Receive Counseling
Your near-fatal injury may also cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If your feelings about the accident are beyond normal, meaning your fears have led to isolation, nightmares, or even fear of the doctor, you definitely need counseling. It may also help you cope with grief if you’ve lost someone from the accident. And, of course, counseling will help you develop a positive life perspective despite living with a near-fatal injury.
Remember that you’re lucky to be given a second shot at life. So recover well and avoid holding grudges. Forgive the one who has harmed you, and discover how life can be beautiful after your ordeal.
