However, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are another injury that can forever change a victim’s life.
If you or a loved one has suffered a severe TBI, you might face years of rehabilitation that can cost tens of thousands of dollars—or more.
To see what compensation is available, please reach out to a Long Beach car accident lawyer today.
Complications from Moderate and Severe TBIs
Unlike a concussion, which is a mild TBI, moderate and severe TBIs often do not clear up in a couple of weeks. Instead, victims deal with significant symptoms for months or years later. For example, you might experience the following:
- Cognitive impairment. Victims struggle to process information and problem solve.
- Memory problems. In particular, short-term memory is often affected.
- Impaired communication. Those with severe TBIs often struggle to speak or to understand the language of other people.
- Diminished mobility. You might experience weakness in your limbs and problems with balance, coordination, or movement.
- Sensory deficits. Victims might experience a decline in their ability to see, hear, touch, taste, or smell.
- Physical pain. Patients can suffer from headaches for years after a collision.
- Emotional or behavioral changes. Patients might become more irritable or struggle to control anger. They also can experience mood swings.
The precise symptoms you suffer will depend on the severity of the TBI and the part of the brain that has been affected.
Treatment and Rehabilitation
In the immediate aftermath of a traumatic injury, the focus will be on stabilizing the patient. You might have to spend time in the hospital where doctors can help you breathe and also monitor your vital signs. If your skull was a fracture, or if you develop blood clots or bleeding, then you might need to have surgery.
Once stabilized, victims undergo an assessment to gauge how the TBI has impaired them. Generally, doctors only treat the symptoms associated with the TBI. For example, you might participate in rehabilitation to recover functioning:
- Speech therapy can help you relearn how to talk and how to understand other people speaking.
- Physical therapy can increase strength and mobility.
- Occupational therapy can teach the tasks of daily living, such as bathing and cooking.
- Behavioral therapy helps manage mood swings and negative emotions.
Family members, along with their injured loved one, might also benefit from meeting with a support group. These groups, comprised of other TBI patients and family members, can serve as a welcome sounding board for complaints and fears about living with the brain injury.
Injured in an Accident? Contact a Long Beach Brain Injury Lawyer
Many victims of severe TBI are permanently disabled and unable to work. They might also need an at-home aid or attendant to take care of them, which will cost thousands of dollars a month.
TBI victims and their families should seek financial compensation if someone else is at least partly to blame for the injury. If successful, you can receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. To check whether you have a case, meet with a Long Beach brain injury lawyer at the Beliz Law Firm. Call 562-452-3772 or submit our contact form. Initial consultations are free.
Michael A. Beliz, Esq., established The Beliz Law Firm in the spring of 2011. Michael has been a practicing attorney since 2006 and worked for two of the most prominent plaintiff’s personal injury law firms in Southern California. He has worked on and handled hundreds of cases as an attorney in all types of personal injury cases, including vehicle accidents, pedestrian accidents and dog bites, and successfully recovered millions of dollars for his clients.
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