Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Claims

If you think you’ve developed symptoms of PTSD because of an accident that was someone else’s fault or because of your job, you could claim compensation.

You can develop PTSD for countless reasons - from one single event, such as being part of a road accident, an accident at work or witnessing a horrific event.  But PTSD can also happen because of a re-occurring event such as suffering domestic abuse.

The most common triggers where we act for clients who have suffered PTSD include:

• Road Traffic Accidents
• Accidents to emergency service workers
• Assaults on shop workers, nurses, care workers, social workers and teachers
• Medical negligence
• Armed robbery at a place of work
• Military claims
• Sexual abuse

People in certain jobs are at a particularly high risk of developing PTSD because of the nature of their work, such as:

• Paramedics
• Ambulance workers
• Doctors
• Police officers
• Fire fighters
• Members of the Armed Forces

The law recognises that people in these professions are a class of people who can claim if they develop PTSD after helping somebody injured or killed in a catastrophic event.

People who are at the scene of a horrific accident or event such as a terrorist attack could also be eligible to claim if they are diagnosed with PTSD afterwards.

We also act for and have recovered large amounts of compensation for clients who, in their line of work, are vulnerable because they work late-night shifts or a responsible for locking up their premises, as well as lone workers who’ve been subjected to armed robberies and assaults.

Your employer can be held responsible, depending on the circumstances, if they haven’t taken adequate safety steps to provide for your security, heeded warnings of previous attacks or followed police advice. We act for people who have suffered PTSD or been assaulted in the following types of workplace:

• Shops
• Supermarkets
• Off-licences
• Garages
• Betting shops
• Pubs
• Nightclubs
• Takeaways
• Restaurants
• Banks
• Post Offices

If you find it hard to cope with day-to-day life following a traumatic event, you should be able to get the treatment and support you need.

We often speak to clients who are initially not sure if they should make a claim. The reality of the situation is that if your life has been affected and you’re struggling, the compensation can not only give you some help and reassurance but it means you can also access services which may not be available without you paying for them.

With the right compensation, you can access the care that’s available immediately, including treatments that aren’t always available on the NHS, or that have long waiting lists. This can include:

• Counselling
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• EMDR (Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy)
• Psychotherapy
• Couple therapy
• Relationship therapy
• Medication, such as anti-depressants

In England and Wales, a personal injury claim must be made within 3 years of the date you were injured or the event which triggered the PTSD taking place, or from the date you became aware of your PTSD. If you’re claiming on behalf of a child, you have until their 18th birthday to claim compensation.