After being hit by a drunk driver in Georgia, you may feel powerless and helpless. Victims often suffer from these emotions and thoughts—along with many other conflicting feelings—long after the crash occurs. These feelings are normal.
What other normal feelings might a victim experience?
- Survivor’s Guilt: If someone in your car was killed in the crash, you may feel guilty for having survived the accident. Although you know you are a DUI accident victim and that the wreck was not your fault, you may not be able to help but feel guilty that you are alive and that someone you love died.
- Frustration: If you were injured in the wreck, you may feel frustrated with those close to you. It may seem like they don’t understand your physical and emotional pain. You may grow tired of hearing the words “just give it time.” It is normal to feel misunderstood by those around you or frustrated with those who attempt to comfort you.
- Worry: Physical injuries often cause those who are suffering to be consumed with worry. You may worry about your future, dreams, money, family, career, or more. It is normal to lose heart after a physical injury.
- Grief: If you suffered a traumatic or disabling injury, you may grieve every time you learn more about your injury. Feelings of sadness, loneliness, and irritability may occur, accompanied by crying. You may experience waves of grief every time you attempt to do something that you used to do but can’t do anymore.
- Anger: All of the above feelings can cause you to become angry about the crash, your injuries, your ongoing medical needs, or if healing seems to be taking too long. If you are expecting miracles but don’t experience them, or if you begin to see progress and then plateau, then you may become upset during the healing process.
You may experience the emotions and feelings of anger, guilt, grief, worry, hopelessness, depression and frustration repeatedly throughout your healing process. Although these feelings and emotions are normal for Georgia DUI accident victims to experience, they may feel too overwhelming for you to handle. You may need to talk to someone about the crash and about the feelings and emotions you are experiencing. It can be therapeutic to talk to a professional in your healing journey.
Victims of drunk driving accidents suffer both physical and emotional injuries and should be compensated accordingly. If you are a Georgia DUI accident victim, then you should be sure you seek justice to receive adequate compensation for your present and future needs.
Please call the skilled Atlanta DUI injury lawyers at Shane Smith Law at (980) 246-2656 today to request a free consultation. Also, be sure to request a complimentary copy of our book, I Was Hit by a Drunk Driver: What Do I Do Next? The Guide for Victims of Georgia Drunk Driving Accidents.