Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Truck Accidents: Legal Rights in Green Bay Personal Injury Claims

 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a truck accident can have devastating psychological impacts that extend far beyond physical injuries. Victims often experience flashbacks, severe anxiety, sleep disturbances, and persistent fears about driving or riding in vehicles. In Green Bay, where heavy truck traffic serves the city's industrial and shipping sectors, these accidents can be particularly traumatic due to the massive size disparity between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles. PTSD symptoms may prevent victims from returning to work, maintaining relationships, or resuming normal daily activities. When pursuing a personal injury claim, both the immediate psychological trauma and long-term mental health consequences must be considered. This can include costs of psychological treatment, therapy sessions, medication, lost wages due to inability to work, and diminished quality of life. The complexity of proving PTSD in legal proceedings often requires expert testimony from mental health professionals and detailed documentation of symptoms and their impact on daily functioning.

Legal Rights and Considerations

Wisconsin follows a modified comparative negligence rule, allowing victims to recover damages if they are 50% or less at fault. Claims involving PTSD must be filed within Wisconsin's three-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases. Commercial truck insurance policies typically carry higher coverage limits than personal auto insurance, often $750,000 or more for interstate carriers. Compensation may include economic damages (medical bills, therapy costs, lost wages) and non-economic damages (pain and suffering, emotional distress). Wisconsin has no cap on compensatory damages in truck accident cases. However, punitive damages, if applicable, are limited to twice the compensatory damages or $200,000, whichever is greater. A Green Bay trucking crash lawyer will handle all aspects of the legal claim.

If you've been injured in a truck accident, it is likely that you were riding in another vehicle, and the at-fault truck driver could have engaged in any number of dangerous behaviors that resulted in serious injuries. Click the links below to get help from an attorney who specializes in your type of accident or injury:

Related Resources

Local Courts:

  • Brown County Circuit Court
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin (Green Bay Division)

Support Services:

  • Bellin Psychiatric Center
  • Brown County Crisis Center
  • Aurora BayCare Behavioral Health
  • PTSD support groups at Aurora Medical Center

Legal References:

  • Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 893 (Limitations of Actions)
  • Wisconsin Commercial Driver's Manual
  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations

Return to the Green Bay truck accident information page

Most recent accident reports

Date: 
Monday, April 22, 2024
Roadway: 
I-41
Type: Car Accident