Claim for depression - crash?

creditcardnewbie

Hello everyone,

I was in an accident (not my fault) in January this year and have recently been diagnosed with depression. I have been suffering a lot with depression since the accident but was only recently diagnosed by my GP as it was the first time I went to speak about it.

I was wondering if I would be entitled to compensation as a result? A friend told me I would but I couldn't see anything on the internet about it - except for psychological trauma but not sure my case would fall under the same category as that?

The 3rd party has already paid out on my vehicle which was written off and paid out on my injuries (whiplash) but a friend said I would also be entitled to something for my depression too.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

creditcardnewbie :beer:

victoriaolivia

hi, maybe give a solicitor a rang, im not sure but it may be that because they have paid out on your injuries the case may be closed.

my hubby is 8 months after an accident, still not walking without crutches, hes a chef so been off work since middle of January, at the jobcentre as we speak trying to sort out universal credit as his ssp finished 7 weeks ago and its still not sorted.....anywaysssssss he has a psychiatrist appointment end of the month as part of his claim, he has been very down and snappy, short tempered, gained weight as he cant walk properly so i am hoping this will help him regardless of it being part of the claim, our solicitor has said we are to hold out as long as possible as we do not currently know the future affects of his injuries and if we agreed earlier and my husband struggles with something afterwards there is nothing that can be done.

foxy-stoat

You would of received your payment for your injuries as full and final settlement, doubt you can claim now but not heard of a car accident being the cause of depression.

missile

When I was injured in an RTA, my solicitor insisted I wait until nearly 3 years later to finalise the claim for personal injury and I am so glad that he did.

creditcardnewbie

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for your replies. I think you may be right - that it is too late to claim for this type of thing but thought I'd ask the question anyhow. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

When the crash happened I was very lucky - the police told me if the lorry that hit me was just one inch closer to me I was dead. This played on my mind since it happened and I slipped into depression as a result but I am now taking medication and getting treatment to overcome it.

The solicitor I used did rush things through a lot and looking back it probably would have been better if he had dragged it out a but but live and learn. Hopefully my question and your replies combined will be a useful resource for the next poor person that is in this predicament.

Again everyone - thank you for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it.

creditcardnewbie

OnanTheBarbarian

Much will depend on what is mentioned in the medical report the solicitor used to settle your claim.

If depression is mentioned or other psychological injuries then you will struggle as it will be argued you were already aware of the condition and have been compensated already.

You will struggle generally if the symptoms were present before you settled.

If they only arose after setting then there is a chance.

Part of your problem will be finding a lawyer who would take it on as it's a fair bit of faffing and potential expense obtaining medical records and possibly a specialist report with limited prospects.

Keep in touch with your GP about your symptoms to make sure you get the treatment you need. Maybe even consider getting referred for CBT treatment.

debtdebt

Nobody will take this on. Your solicitor will have made you sign a document that confirms you agreed to settle for a certain sum in full and final settlement of your general damages. Before then, you would also have been asked to confirm that the medical report you relied upon to value your claim fully detailed all symptoms caused by the accident.

[Deleted User]

Counselling might also help. In my area MIND allow you to self refer to counselling services they provide.., short term is free on the NHS, longer term counselling requires a means tested payment per session.

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/helplines/