Traumatic Brain Injuries: What You Should Know
Although the term “traumatic brain injury”, (TBI), has become more familiar to the general public, you may not have any idea how these injuries can alter the lives of those who suffer from them. Here are some things you should know.
A traumatic brain injury is most commonly caused by a violent hit to the head or body, or an object, that pierces the skull and enters the brain.
The level of recovery from a TBI may not be known for weeks, months, or even years. Each brain injury and recovery period is different and therefore unpredictable. It will impact the patient’s life, and their family’s lives will be different as well.
At Attorneys Jim and Steve Brady & Associates, PC, we protect your legal rights, ease your worry, and get you the legal outcome you deserve. Traumatic brain injury lawsuits take patience and strategic negotiation. Rushing a TBI case is not in a person’s best interest.
What are some initial TBI symptoms?
One of the first signs of a traumatic brain injury is a headache that won’t go away. Other initial signs are the development of attention issues, lapse in memory, and limited executive functioning skills. Patients may experience weakness, numbness, lack of coordination, convulsions, seizures, vomiting, and/or facial paralysis.
There are three different levels of TBIs: mild, moderate, and severe.
Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries
A concussion is a type of mild TBI—caused by a bump or blow to the head or the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.
Some concussions are healed in one month and some take over a year. Each patient may experience a different combination of physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, and behavioral symptoms.
Mild traumatic brain injuries usually affect brain cells temporarily. Some examples are short-term problems with regular brain function such as understanding, thought process, communication, body movement, and behavior.
More serious concussions can leave you with persistent symptoms for longer than expected. This is called post-concussion syndrome. Typical post-concussion syndrome symptoms are:
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Concentration and memory issues
• Fatigue and sleep problems
• Loss of balance
• Irritability/anxiety or depression
• Blurry vision
• Ringing in the ears
• Noise and/or light sensitivity
Moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries
The higher levels of brain injury can include any of the symptoms seen with mild brain injuries, along with any on the list below. Some may appear immediately, some may present days after the head injury occurs:
• Loss of consciousness from several minutes to hours
• Headache that will not go away
• Nausea and vomiting
• Convulsions or seizures
• Pupil dilation in one or both eyes
• Clear fluids draining from the nose and/or ears
• Inability to awaken from sleep
• Loss of coordination
• Numbness in fingers and toes
• Confusion or agitation
• Changes in personality
The more serious traumatic brain injuries can also include bruising, bleeding, torn tissues, and other physical damage to the brain. They may result in long-term complications, severe and permanent disability, or even death. The range of physical and cognitive effects is wide and unpredictable, leaving your long and short-term quality of life unknown.
Does anyone ever fully recover from a TBI?
There are no clear answers. Each person’s recovery is different. Damaged brain cells do not regenerate or repair themselves. However, a healthy brain can rewire and create new pathways that can compensate for the damaged areas.
At Attorneys Jim and Steve Brady & Associates, PC in Walpole, Massachusetts, we’ve represented numerous traumatic brain injury cases. We bring experience and results to your case. We know how scary and uncertain the traumatic brain injury recovery journey can be, and we know what you should be compensated for. Injured people may be compensated for:
• Lost income during recovery
• Loss of future earning potential
• Pain and suffering
• Current and future medical expenses
• Any miscellaneous out-of-pocket expenses
These cases can take up to three years or more to resolve. We will make sure we gather all the necessary test results, bills, and any other expenses you incur due to your TBI. Some brain injuries will improve over time, but may worsen following the accident. We will wait as long as necessary to get a full understanding of how your brain injury is going to affect your quality of life before agreeing to a settlement offer.
If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury, the legal team you choose to work with will directly affect the outcome of your case and your life. It is important to discuss your case with lawyers who are experienced with traumatic brain injury. We only get paid if you win, and we have helped to recover significant sums of money for people with traumatic brain injury cases.
Contact us today at Attorneys Jim and Steve Brady & Associates, PC. to discuss your traumatic brain injury case.