Yes, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can affect your life immediately and get worse over time. Many people struggle to return to their previous cognitive levels and face new problems months or years down the road. If you’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence, working with a lawyer who understands these injuries can make a real difference in your recovery and your claim.
A California brain injury lawyer at Ernst Law Group can explain what to watch for and how a worsening injury affects your case.
What long-term effects can develop after a TBI?
The long-term effects of a traumatic brain injury depend on the type of injury and the part of the brain that’s affected. Patients may experience physical symptoms, impaired cognitive function, personality changes, and neurological disorders. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among people still alive five years after a moderate or severe TBI:
- 57% have moderate to severe disabilities
- 55% do not return to work within 5 years after their injury
- 50% return to a hospital at least once
- 33% can’t perform everyday activities without assistance
- 29% express a diminished quality of life
- 29% experience issues with alcohol and substance abuse
- 12% live in nursing homes or require long-term care
TBIs affect not only you as a victim but can also impact your family and other relationships. Additionally, many TBI patients develop other health issues, such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, depression, seizures, and cognitive decline.
Does the type or severity of the injury matter?
As with many medical conditions, each person’s reaction to a TBI will be unique. However, the more severe an injury, the greater the likelihood that you’ll experience long-term effects. Even though the Cleveland Clinic reports that 75% of TBIs are considered mild, they can still create challenges in your daily life and ability to work.Â
For moderate and severe TBIs requiring emergency medical treatment, you may experience damage to the brain tissue itself from a penetrating injury or blunt force trauma. In those instances, you could suffer physical effects, such as loss of sensation, motor control, and damage to your organ function. You could also experience cognitive damage that affects your ability to communicate, your five senses, and your mental health.
Why is it important to watch for worsening symptoms?
For TBIs, early diagnosis and treatment are essential to limit the effects. By watching for worsening symptoms, you can get to a healthcare provider quickly and possibly prevent additional harm from your initial TBI. It’s even possible for an old brain injury to show up years later, especially if you experience another accident.
The Mayo Clinic lists the following TBI symptoms that could appear immediately after your injury, or indicate that your TBI may be getting worse:
- Headaches
- Seizures or migraines
- Loss of motor control or sensation
- Nausea or vomiting
- Inability to speak or understand others
- Blurry vision
- Hearing loss
- Numbness or tingling
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- Difficulty staying awake
- Passing out
If you experience any of these, get to a hospital immediately for diagnosis and treatment. You may notice the symptoms of your TBIs worsen when you’re under increased stress, such as when dealing with a personal injury claim related to your injury.
How can worsening symptoms affect an injury claim?
If you need emergency surgery to treat a TBI, your personal injury claim will include those financial costs. Yet it’s vital to understand that a TBI can get worse, meaning you may need additional treatment in the months and years after your initial incident.
If your worsening symptoms limit your ability to earn a living, care for yourself, or live on your own, you can include the cost of those effects in your damage calculations. You can request compensation for items such as:
Compensation may cover your medical bills, ongoing care, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity if you’re left disabled. It can also reach further, into lost retirement savings, lost advancement opportunities, the loss of health insurance if you can no longer work, and noneconomic harms like diminished quality of life, anxiety, depression, and damage to your reputation.
Your personal injury attorney can help you determine the full value of your claim so you aren’t left without adequate resources.
Where can you find support after a brain injury?
A serious brain injury can leave you and your family with more questions than answers. That’s part of why we built our California Brain Injury Resource Center. It’s full of videos and real support, free to our clients and to anyone else who needs it. It also helps to have a lawyer who understands what you’re going through and has handled these cases before.
Don Ernst and his team have been doing this work for more than 35 years, standing with injured people in San Luis Obispo and across California against the big insurance companies. We want you to walk away feeling informed and supported, with the confidence to stand up for yourself.
Discuss your options with Ernst Law Group
Regardless of medical advances, the science of traumatic brain injuries is still mysterious, and there’s no guarantee of recovery after an accident. Because of this, you need strong, compassionate legal representation from a California brain injury lawyer who understands what you’re facing. At Ernst Law Group, we fight hard to pursue the full compensation you need to recover.
Learn more during your free consultation. Contact us online or call (805) 541-0300 to get started.
