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Every single day in the UK, people suffer from accidents that aren’t their fault and many of these have life-changing consequences. In this article, we’ll explore how a serious or long-term personal injury can affect your life, looking at the financial, physical, and emotional impacts it can have.
Financially
One of the biggest impacts of a personal injury can be the loss of income you may experience due to extended time off work while recovering. Even if you get sick pay, this may not be enough to cover your outgoings and some people can end up getting into debt as a result. If your injuries are long-term, this could put an extreme burden on your family’s finances.
There are also other financial costs associated with suffering a personal injury, such as the costs of travelling to medical appointments, prescriptions for medication and private treatment costs. You may also have to cancel plans such as a family holiday or wedding so the true costs of a personal injury can really add up.
Physically
Some personal injuries are minor, however, depending on the nature of your injury, the consequences can be life-changing. It only takes one accident to change your body permanently and if your injuries are serious, you could be left with paralysis, ongoing mobility issues, chronic pain or scarring.
Severe, long-term injuries can have a massive impact on your ability to carry out your usual day-to-day tasks, whether it’s walking, driving, standing for long periods or even everyday living activities like washing, dressing and eating. If your injuries are permanent then you may face considerations such as moving house or making considerable adaptations to your existing home or even hiring carers. Even with less severe injuries, you may live with daily reminders such as pain or side effects from medications.
Emotionally
Suffering a personal injury that wasn’t your fault can have an obvious impact on your emotional wellbeing and mental health. This may be a result of the accident itself or the long-term consequences of your injury.
If you’re struggling to return to work then you may also have financial difficulties and could be feeling depressed and anxious about your situation. If your injury is severe you may also be dealing with pain, and ongoing medical appointments and investigations, which will affect your mood.
You may also have had to adapt and make changes to your home and lifestyle due to the injury, which will also impact your wellbeing. Long-term health conditions have a negative impact on mental health so it’s hardly surprising that many people develop psychological issues as a result of their physical injury.
