If you’ve suffered a slip and fall accident or have been in a car crash, the potential for a brain injury is very high. In some cases, these injuries can have long-term consequences that change your life forever.
It’s important to seek medical attention immediately after suffering head trauma so that doctors can treat your brain injury. In the short term, neglecting treatment could lead to infections and other troubles. In the long term, it will depend on the type of brain injury and severity.
What to Know About Common Brain Injuries and Their Long-Term Impacts
After a brain injury, your doctor will evaluate what treatment you need now and in the future. Follow all aftercare advice and be sure to get the rest you need. Your brain injury could be something less severe, like a concussion, or it could be life-threatening, but regardless, you should know what could happen next.
Concussion
Concussions are fairly common after experiencing head trauma, and most do not result in long-term complications for the injured. But there are exceptions, and severe concussions can affect behavior and cause numbness, cognitive impairment, and loss of mobility.
Hematoma
Hematomas, or brain bleeds, are extremely serious. It’s not something immediately noticeable in the aftermath of an accident, making it even more imperative to get checked out immediately. It will need to be treated promptly, but you may have problems processing information or speaking even after treatment. You may also experience anxiety and depression following a hematoma.
Skull Fracture
If your skull is fractured, it can be excruciating and dangerous because shards of bone could puncture your brain. You may have internal bleeding, which can cause infections. Additionally, the long-term impacts may leave you enduring seizures or brain damage.
Open Head Injury
In serious accidents, an object could penetrate your skull and damage your brain. You may experience nerve damage and loss of coordination. Those that don’t seek prompt treatment may not survive such an injury.
How Brain Injuries Can Affect Your Life
Diligent medical care may help you make a full recovery. However, many injury victims endure long-term consequences following the accident.
Inability to Work
Depending on your line of work, you may no longer be able to carry out your duties. You may not be able to work full-time or even part-time, so you’ll likely need to file for permanent disability.
Dependence on Others
When brain injury victims suffer changes to cognitive function, communication skills, and mobility, they may no longer live independently. This would require having family members provide care around the clock or moving into an assisted care facility.
Psychological Distress
Traumatic brain injuries can lead to mental and emotional problems. It can be overwhelming to manage your condition, and that, coupled with your injury, can change how you experience life. It’s common for brain injuries to rewire how the brain works, which may result in behavioral changes.
Seeking Compensation for Brain Injuries
When you have been in an accident that wasn’t your fault but left you with life-long consequences, you can file a personal injury lawsuit. You shouldn’t go into debt to pay for the medical treatments you need or lose a good job because someone else was negligent.
An attorney can help you file for compensation for your medical bills, disability, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, property damage, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and the cost of assisted living, to name a few.
It’s important that you discuss your accident and injuries with a San Jose brain injury lawyer as soon as possible. California’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from when you were injured, and the sooner you pursue your case, the better off you’ll be. Key evidence is more readily available immediately following the incident, which can help you prove your case and claim the compensation you deserve.
