Man Bites Dog in the Age of eBikes
Most of the time we write about eBikes getting hit by other vehicles. But this time the shoe was on the other foot.
We represented a fabulous young couple. They were on their way home from a date. They talked and shared sushi. They felt content and looked forward to seeing their son.
They were just about to turn onto their street. When....
BANG!
An eBike crashed into their truck at 60 MPH. They were both jarred. After the shock wore off they got out of their truck to see if they could help the rider.
It was an adult. He wasn't wearing a helmet. His face was the first thing that hit the side of the truck. CPR was a physical impossibility.
Husband and wife got over their physical injuries. But they couldn't shake what they had seen.
Providers diagnosed PTSD. A lot of people are reluctant to treat for "psychological" injuries. But what we learned in this case is that the powerful event that causes PTSD also creates a brain injury.
The neuro-chemical reaction started by the near-death or similar experience changes the brain by atrophying the pre-frontal cortex and the hippocampus. This affects executive function, memory and cognition.
Because of these changes, the brain processes information differently.
Both husband and wife treated. And they had a very "evolved" physician's assistant who understood and documented that range of impacts caused by the horrific event.
I think the treatment and medical recognition had a big impact on the adjuster. (The rider had no insurance. Our clients has UM coverage.) With the mediatory's help she acknowledged that even though someone else (a stranger) had died, it had a profound impact on husband and wife. And the way the adjuster acknowledged the significance was by paying a lot of money to settle the claims.
Two claps for the physician's assistant, the adjuster and most of all, our clients.