Living with a TBI

While the immediate signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be severe, dealing with those symptoms is only the beginning of a long struggle for many TBI victims. Unlike other types of injuries, undergoing emergency treatment and rehabilitative therapy does not automatically mean that a victim will fully recover or will ever return back to their “normal” life. Instead, a traumatic brain injury victims can experience ongoing effects of the injury for possibly the rest of their lives. These victims must adjust to a “new normal” of living with a TBI.

Long-term effects of brain injuries

Some of the ongoing effects of a TBI can include as follows:

Memory challenges, particularly processing and remembering new information
Difficulty communicating and interacting with others
Interruptions in focus and concentration
Trouble expressing appropriate emotion for a situation
Physical impairments
Speech impairments

All of these can disrupt an individual’s prior pursuit of a career path or education and can require them to significantly alter their plans for the future.

An “invisible” injury

In addition to the actual struggles a TBI victim faces, they can face additional challenges because a brain injury is often not readily apparent to those who do not know them. Unlike an amputation or other types of external injuries, a TBI often has few outward signs and is therefore often referred to as the “invisible” injury. This can cause additional complications both socially and professionally.

For example, if a TBI victim is having difficulty keeping up with a conversation or showing appropriate emotion in a group of people they do not know very well, members of the group may not recognize that the difficulty is due to a TBI and may simply believe the individual is odd, insensitive, or non-responsive on purpose. This can add another level of challenges for a person living with a TBI and can often lead to additional serious emotional struggles including depression.

Development of serious mental conditions

Some TBI victims—especially those who have suffered multiple concussions—face even more serious effects of their injuries later in life. Specifically, they may develop irreversible mental conditions including:

Early onset dementia
Early onset Alzheimer’s disease¹
Early onset Parkinson’s disease²
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)³

Such conditions can significantly diminish the quality of life for TBI victims, as well as present serious challenges and struggles for their families. Some of these conditions, especially CTE, often lead to suicide.

Every victim of a traumatic brain injury has their own unique challenges and journey following their injury. While some victims are able to fully recover after some time, others must adjust to living with a TBI. Such victims deserve to be compensated by any negligent parties that caused their TBI for their disabilities, lost opportunities, and diminished quality of life in addition to any financial losses they suffered. It is often challenging to put a value on these intangible losses and such calculations often require the assistance of TBI and rehabilitative experts who fully understand the struggles of living with a traumatic brain injury. It is important to seek help from an attorney who knows how to utilize experts and similar resources to obtain the maximum recovery possible in your case.

An experienced Tampa traumatic brain injury lawyer can help you recover

Facing the immediate effects of a TBI and undergoing treatment are far from the only losses that a TBI victim may suffer. Victims of severe TBI can experience long-term symptoms and face numerous cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges for an extended period of time as a result of their injury. When you file a claim for personal injury after a TBI, it is important to consider all the future effects of your injury as well as the losses you have already experienced. A skilled brain injury attorney in Tampa will know how to estimate the value of your future losses so that you can pursue the full amount of compensation you deserve for your TBI. If you have sustained a TBI, you should not hesitate to call the Dolman Law Group for assistance as soon as possible. Call 727-451-6900 for a free, no-obligation consultation today.

Dolman Law Group
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33756
727-451-6900

https://www.dolmanlaw.com/legal-services/brain-injury-attorneys/

References:

¹http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp
²http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/parkinsons_disease/parkinsons_disease.htm
³http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/basics/definition/con-20113581