A motorcycle crash is a near-death event. The brain remembers it that way. PTSD, generalised anxiety disorder, specific phobias (riding, traffic, enclosed spaces), adjustment disorder, and depressive episodes are all common in the months and years following. They are not weakness, they are not exaggeration, and they are absolutely recoverable in personal injury law.
PTSD after a motorcycle accident
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a clinical diagnosis under DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria. Symptoms typically include intrusive memories of the accident, avoidance behaviour, hyperarousal (jumpiness, sleep disruption), and negative mood changes. Many riders also experience a specific phobia of riding or driving — separate from PTSD but commonly comorbid.
PTSD onset is often delayed. Symptoms can emerge weeks or months after the accident, sometimes after physical injuries have largely healed. This is normal and well-documented.
How we prove it
Psychiatric evidence in Scottish courts requires consultant-grade reports. We instruct forensic psychiatrists with specific expertise in trauma — typically a structured clinical interview, psychometric testing (CAPS-5, PCL-5, IES-R, HADS), and longitudinal review.
Where treatment is recommended, we secure funding from interim payments. The treatment then runs in parallel with the case, which gives the medical evidence stronger longitudinal grounding for settlement.
What it's worth
Psychiatric injury sits within the solatium head of damages — the same head that covers physical pain, suffering, and loss of amenity. It is not an add-on or a separate top-up to the settlement; it's already part of it. JC Guidelines indicative ranges for the psychiatric component:
- Severe PTSD with permanent functional impairment: £62,000 – £105,000+
- Moderately severe PTSD: £24,000 – £62,000
- Moderate PTSD with prospect of recovery: £8,500 – £24,000
- Minor PTSD with full recovery within 1–2 years: £4,500 – £8,500
- Adjustment disorder, anxiety, depression — separate ranges apply
Treatment is part of the case
We arrange and fund private trauma-focused CBT and EMDR through the case, drawing on interim payments where liability is admitted. The aim is recovery, not just compensation. Where full recovery isn't possible, we secure long-term care funding within the settlement.