Brain Injured? A Lawyer Can Help
Have you suffered a head injury recently?
Often head injuries lead to traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, which can be
very difficult to cope with. Traumatic brain injuries can range from mild to
severe, but their effects can be felt on a daily basis, and can affect every
aspect of life. If you are brain injured, lawyers can help you to receive
financial compensation.
There are approximately
100,000 new cases of brain injury each year in Canada. Many of these injuries happen due to falls, through violence or
combat, during sports such as football or hockey – but most are caused by auto
accidents. Traumatic brain injuries happen because the skull is hard and
inflexible, while the brain is soft. If the head moves through space at a
certain speed and then stops suddenly, the brain can bounce violently against
the wall of the skull. This "contra coup” injury is very common in automobile
accidents, and results in diffuse axonal shearing (the tearing of axons and the
resulting death of neurons), contusion or bruising, and brain swelling.
Identifying the Symptoms
Sometimes brain injuries resolve fairly
quickly without treatment. Other times, a head injury can lead to serious symptoms
such as persistent headaches, memory problems, and significant personality
changes. There’s a very
long list of problems that can occur because of a
traumatic brain injury, and these are divided into three categories: mild,
moderate, or severe. Even a mild injury should be checked out. If you have hit
your head in a car accident, make sure to get medical treatment immediately.
However, traumatic brain injuries sometimes take time to reveal themselves.
Sometimes people don’t even remember hitting their heads. And it’s a natural
instinct for people to play down symptoms that are vague, such as fatigue,
irritability, or memory loss. If you, or someone you love, starts to experience
any unusual symptoms following a motor vehicle accident, see a doctor.
Monitoring the Client
After seeing a doctor, your next call
should be to a good personal injury law firm. You may be eligible for insurance
benefits that will cover your medical and rehabilitation costs, or weekly
benefits that will help to replace lost income. In certain cases, it may make
sense to launch a lawsuit against another driver. Most personal injury lawyers
work on a contingency basis, which means that they will not expect to be paid
now, but will take a percentage of any money that you receive.
A good auto accident lawyer will monitor
any symptoms of brain injury over the course of a year. Signs such as
behavioural changes, emotional changes, sensory problems, cognitive problems,
social problems, changes in intellectual ability, changes in executive
functioning ability, nerve damage, and altered consciousness can all indicate
that traumatic brain injury has occurred. It’s possible that you may be
eligible for various types of benefits, depending on the severity of the
effects, and what your needs are. If you are brain injured, lawyers can help
you navigate the process of obtaining benefits or compensation. Call a personal
injury law firm today to discuss your options.