Workers’ Compensation for PTSD and Psychological Injuries

 Posted on November 05, 2024 in Workers' Compensation

You do not have to be physically injured at work to be suffering from a work-induced psychological disability. If you are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, struggling with acute post-traumatic stress, or have begun to experience other psychological problems like depression or anxiety as a direct result of something that has happened at work, you might be able to file a workers’ compensation claim. Issues like PTSD or depression can be the result of a single, serious incident or can build up over time, like many other occupational illnesses. If you have had to take time away from work due to PTSD or other psychological issues, you should talk to an experienced Santa Clara County, CA workers’ compensation lawyer.

Mental Health After a Serious Injury

Many workplace accidents are traumatic. The psychological ramifications of a workplace accident can persist long after your physical injuries have healed. If you were physically hurt at work, you may have a very strong case for getting workers’ compensation for your psychological injuries as well. If you find that your thoughts and memories of the accident are causing you such significant distress that you are not able to work even after physically healing, you may qualify for long-term disability.

Witnessing a Major Workplace Accident 

Seeing a co-worker get seriously hurt or even lose their life in a workplace accident is a major cause of work-related PTSD. While you may have walked away thankful that you were not physically harmed, you may find that just witnessing a traumatic accident can do serious harm to a person. You may experience recurrent, unwanted, and uncontrollable thoughts about the accident. You may struggle with survivor’s guilt or have so much anxiety that you cannot do your job. If something like this has happened to you, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation.

Near-Misses and Anxiety 

Having a near-miss incident, where you narrowly avoided a major accident that would have led to serious physical harm or death, can also be traumatic. Especially if your line of work is inherently dangerous or if your employer’s lack of safety considerations led to a near-miss, developing anxiety that prevents you from focusing on your work is possible. You may qualify for workers’ compensation if you can show that what happened to you was an extreme event rather than an expected occurrence in your workplace.

Contact a Santa Clara County, CA Workers’ Compensation Lawyer 

Cramer + Martinez provides compassionate representation for people struggling with work-related psychological injuries. Our experienced Gilroy, CA workers’ compensation attorneys can assess your situation to determine if you may have a claim. Contact us at 408-848-1113 for a free consultation.