Car accidents are a common cause of concussion and more severe brain injury. In addition, individuals involved in car accidents frequently sustain injuries that result in pain, or experience significant difficulties in the area of psychological functioning. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, nightmares, sleep disturbance, and fear of driving are not uncommon. New York is a No Fault state. If you or your passengers sustain injuries in a car accident, medical bills are paid for by your driver’s insurance policy. If there was another vehicle involved in the accident, medical care is covered by the policy of the other driver.
If you are injured in a car accident and have experienced memory or other cognitive difficulties, or have experienced psychological problems, you may benefit from the services provided by LINS. While your physician may refer you to a neuropsychologist or clinical psychologist, no referral is required under New York No Fault regulations.
If you have been injured in a car accident, the first contact with a neuropsychologist or psychologist at LINS will involve an initial consultation. During the initial consultation, your concerns will be discussed, the doctor will review your injury and medical history, and complete a clinical interview. At the end of the initial consultation, a plan will be established. In the case of a concussion or more severe traumatic brain injury, the neuropsychologist will discuss the benefits and appropriate timeline to conduct a neuropsychological evaluation. Because cognitive symptoms associated with head injury will likely improve in the weeks and early months post-injury, the neuropsychological evaluation is usually not conducted for several months. While recovering, many individuals take part in brain injury counseling in the initial weeks and months post-injury. Brain injury counseling at LINS has a number of purposes. First, psychoeducation regarding brain injury and brain injury prognosis will be provided. Second, strategies for compensating for cognitive difficulties will be reviewed. Third, the emotional/psychological impact of the accident will be addressed. When symptoms are severe, or if the neuropsychologist identifies areas of concern that are outside of the psychologist’s scope of practice, referrals to other professionals may be made.
When deemed appropriate by the neuropsychologist, a battery of cognitive and psychological tests will be administered to better understand the nature and severity of difficulties that have persisted since the accident. The information obtained during the evaluation will be reviewed with you during a feedback session and a treatment plan will be developed. The treatment plan will involve recommendations to help you to improve any of the areas of continued difficulty. Continued counseling, cognitive remediation, lifestyle changes, and/or referrals to other professionals are just some of the components that may make up your treatment plan.
If you have been injured in a car accident and believe that a neuropsychologist or psychologist may be able to help, the staff at Long Island Neuropsychological Services, PLLC can help you navigate through the No Fault process.