The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that approximately 5.3 million Americans are living with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)-related disabilities. These catastrophic injuries have the potential to affect all aspects of an individual’s life. They may have lost their ability to work, drive, do household duties and play with their children as they did before their TBI. Not to mention, the patient is likely in debt due to the high costs associated with traumatic brain injuries. So how does an injured TBI victim get help after being so severely injured because of another’s negligence? A traumatic brain injury lawsuit can help you recover financial losses.
This is where The Carlson Law Firm steps in. It is important to understand that if you or a loved one were the victims of someone else’s negligence that resulted in a TBI, you may be entitled to compensation for past and future medical expenses, pain, suffering, a decrease in quality of life, lost wages and more. Our qualified Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers can help you seek justice and fight for maximum compensation on your behalf while you take time to recover.
What causes traumatic brain injury?
A traumatic brain injury is when there is a disruption in the normal function of the brain that is caused by a blow to the head or a penetrating head injury. Many times TBIs are the result of motor vehicle collisions, sports and slips and falls.
Brain injury and behavioral issues
Depending on how severe the injury is and what parts of the brain are injured, the patient may experience significant behavioral and emotional changes. For example, the frontal lobe is what governs personality and impulsivity. When someone damages their frontal lobe, they may find it difficult to control their anger or aggression and may not realize they are making inappropriate comments.
Further, it may be difficult to control or express emotions after suffering a traumatic brain injury. People may express these changes as “mood swings,” but in reality, the patient feels as if they are on an emotional roller coaster caused by damage to the brain. A patient may also burst out laughing even if that emotion has nothing to do with how they are actually feeling.
The fact that these behavioral and emotional changes are the result of a brain injury makes it critical that the individual’s friends and family understand it is not the injured person’s fault. It is also just as important for the injured person to understand what is causing them to feel different. While everyone suffering from a brain injury wants to return to life as it was before their injuries, it is impossible for many of them.
Individuals that have suffered a TBI may experience the following behavioral and emotional problems:
- Verbal outbursts
- Physical outbursts
- Poor judgment
- Impulsive behavior
- Negativity
- Intolerance
- Egocentricity
- Rigidity and inflexibility
- Lack of empathy
- Lack of motivation
- Depression
What are the possible effects of a TBI?
Not all TBIs are alike. Each head injury is unique and may cause changes that affect individuals differently. Some injuries may last for a short period of time while others are permanent. Almost half of the patients who require hospitalization after a TBI have a related disability one year after the injury. A TBI may cause several issues affecting the following:
- Cognitive function – affecting attention and memory.
- Motor function – affecting extremity weakness, coordination and balance.
- Sensation – affecting hearing, vision, perception and touch.
- Emotion – including depression, anxiety, aggression, impulse control and personality changes.
TBIs also have the potential of causing epilepsy and increasing the risk for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Lifetime costs associated with Traumatic Brain Injuries
TBI-related expenses don’t stop after the patient sees a healthcare professional. Instead, long-term rehabilitation is often necessary for those who have suffered a severe TBI to maximize function and independence. For example, acute rehabilitation for survivors of severe TBI costs an average of about $1,000 a day. This is with an average stay of 55 days. A traumatic brain injury lawsuit can help you offset the costs of your medical bills due to another’s negligence.
According to The CDC, acute care and rehabilitation of brain injury patients in the United States cost about nine to ten billion dollars annually. Keep in mind this is not including the cost to families such as lost earning, lost work time, productivity and costs linked to providing social services.
How The Carlson Law Firm can help
We understand that a traumatic brain injury can change your life completely. In the aftermath of negligence, you can be left to deal with the costs associated with traumatic brain injuries. You don’t have to go through this alone. Here at The Carlson Law Firm, we have a team of compassionate attorneys ready to gather all necessary evidence to show the lasting effects such trauma can have on a person’s ability to function. Our attorneys will file a traumatic brain injury lawsuit on your behalf and fight for just compensation. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation. We care, we can help.
