Few injuries are as terrifying and life-altering as a brain injury. It can change a person’s personality, disrupt their ability to move, work or enjoy life, and in the most serious cases, cause an individual's death. In some cases, it may takes months or even years for the damage to become fully apparent.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can result from a wide range of accidents, including:
- Motor vehicle accidents (motorcycle, ATV, car, etc.)
- Bicycle, skateboard, roller skate, snowboard, and ski accidents
- Slips and falls
- Contact sports injuries
- Work accidents
- Assaults and fights
Injuries to the brain are typically caused when the brain, a soft organ, slams against a person's skull. Resulting damage can include:
- Bruising
- Bleeding
- Swelling
- Over-stretching damage to the nerve fibers in deeper tissues due to a whiplash injury (diffuse axonal injury)
- Shock or pressure wave force, such as seen in veterans who survive explosions
- Displaced and penetrating fractures of the skull
- Severe shaking, such as with Shaken Baby Syndrome
What Kind of Damage Can a Brain Injury Do?
The effects of a brain injury can be extensive and profoundly disabling. With even mild injury, they can include, headache, confusion, dizziness, sensitivity to noise or light, ringing in the ears, blurred or double vision, restlessness and insomnia. More serious injuries may also result in:
- Physical disabilities, loss of motor control, paralysis
- Seizures and convulsions
- Persistent nausea or vomiting
- Speech problems
- Loss of coordination
- Trouble thinking clearly and impaired judgment
- Emotional and behavioral issues, such as depression and aggression
- Changes in personality
- Death
Recovery for a brain injury victim may take years, and some people never fully recover.
Facing the Challenges
Brain injuries can be extremely difficult for victims and families—emotionally, physically, and financially. There is a very real risk to families that rehabilitation needs outlive insurance payments. And that the victim may never again be able to work as they once had. , or work up to their old capabilities.
For many, that means that the only way they can get the care they need is to file a personal injury claim against the party or parties responsible for the injury.If you or a loved one has had a brain injury, it would be wise to talk about your options with a personal injury attorney experienced in prosecuting brain injury claims.
To prosecute a negligence claim, the attorney will have to show that the actions or failure to act by another party or parties was in some way responsible for the accident and your injuries. Your attorney will fight to ensure that you win full and fair compensation for your short- and long-term needs, including:
- Medical expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional damages
- Punitive damages
Recovery from a brain injury requires time, financial resources, and the team support of a team of medical and rehabilitative experts. A personal injury attorney with expertise in brain injuries can help ensure you have access to that team for as long as you need it. |