The Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury and Why You Deserve Compensation

If you’ve ever fallen, been in a car accident, or played a sport, you’ve probably heard about concussions. We know now that these injuries can be very serious and even life-threatening. But did you know that a concussion is just one small piece of a larger condition called traumatic brain injury?

A traumatic brain injury is a serious matter, and if you’ve suffered one, you may be entitled to compensation. Read on to learn more about these injuries and what sorts of consequences they can have.

What Are Traumatic Brain Injuries?

Before we dive into all the consequences a traumatic brain injury can have, let’s talk some about what it is. As the name suggests, traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is any injury to your brain that happens suddenly and with extreme force. TBI can result from a variety of things, including a car crash, a gunshot wound, a fall, and more.

TBI can happen when you hit your head or have a blow to the body that rattles your head. It can also result from something passing through your brain tissue, such as a bullet or a fragment of the skull. A severe enough TBI can result in instant death, or milder symptoms may have only temporary effects.

Mild Injuries

As you might guess, TBI can range in severity, depending on how much your brain was damaged. Mild TBI symptoms will usually resolve in a few weeks or months. But it is important to note that even mild injuries can lead to a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy if you get them repeatedly.

A mild TBI may give you a headache, make you nauseous, and leave you dizzy or drowsy. You might have blurred vision, a ringing in your ears, or changes to your sense of taste or smell. You may also experience mood swings, problems concentrating or remembering things, heightened depression or anxiety, and changes in your sleep.

Moderate to Severe Injuries

Moderate to severe TBI can have symptoms that last for weeks, months, or even years, depending on the severity of the injury. However, some short-term effects will let you know you have a more serious injury. Losing consciousness for anything more than a few seconds is always a sign that something is seriously wrong.

Repeated vomiting, a persistent or worsening headache, and dilation of your pupils are all signs of a more severe TBI. You may lose coordination, have weakness or numbness in your fingers and toes, you might even have seizures. You may also become combative, agitated, or confused, or you might have slurred speech or even fall into a coma.

Comas and Vegetative States

Traumatic brain injuries can have some serious complications, especially if they were more severe. Some TBI can send you into a coma for days or weeks, even as long as months. A coma is a state in which the patient is unconscious, unaware of anything, and unable to respond to anything going on around them.

A person may also go into a vegetative state, during which they can respond to reflexes, make sounds, and even open their eyes but are unaware of their surroundings. Some people go into minimally conscious states, during which they do show some signs of awareness. In the most severe cases, a person may become brain dead, during which there is no measurable activity in the brain or brainstem.

Physical Problems

After a TBI, you may experience seizures or even develop a disorder called post-traumatic epilepsy. Some of your cerebrospinal fluid can also start to build up in the spaces in your brain and cause increased pressure and swelling. You may even get an infection in your brain, especially if your skull was broken due to the TBI.

Depending on how your brain was injured, you may have damaged some of the blood vessels in your brain, which could lead to a stroke or blood clots. As you might expect, headaches are an extraordinarily common side effect of TBI. Many people also experience dizziness and vertigo after TBI.

Intellectual Problems

In some severe cases, TBI can cause permanent intellectual problems, especially if you have repeated injuries. Many people have cognitive problems, including difficulty remembering things or learning new information or skills. They may also have problems with reasoning and judgment, as well as difficulty paying attention.

Other intellectual problems fall more into the executive function realm. TBI patients may have trouble multitasking, solving problems, or making decisions. They may also have challenges with organization and planning, as well as starting or finishing tasks.

Communication Problems

Oftentimes, TBI patients experience problems with communication after their brain injury. Oftentimes, they may have trouble speaking or writing, or understanding these forms of communication. They may have trouble organizing their thoughts or be unable to follow and participate in conversations.

TBI can also lead to behavioral changes, including verbal or physical outbursts. It can increase your risk of depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, anger, mood swings, and even loss of empathy. They may also develop sensory problems such as tinnitus or visual blind spots.

Get Compensation for Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury can be incredibly serious and may leave you permanently disabled. If you’ve experienced one of these injuries, you deserve compensation for your pain and loss and should consider working with a personal injury lawyer in Nashville. It’s also incredibly important to see your doctor to ensure you get the treatment you need for this serious injury.

If you’d like help getting the compensation you deserve, check out the rest of our site at Reasonover Law Firm. We are tough, compassionate, and caring, and we will fight for your rights. Contact us today and start getting help with your personal injury, workman’s comp, social security disability, or supplemental security case.