What Types of TBIs Can You Suffer After an Accident?
Your body has natural protections in place that are designed to keep your brain safe. Unfortunately, neglect and misconduct can circumvent even the best of these protections. You can suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a slip and fall accident, car accident, assault, and/or motorcycle accident.
The type of TBI you endure can have an impact on how you approach life after your accident. You’ll need a medical professional to help you ease your way into recovery. More so, you’ll need to understand how your circumstances led to your accident-related losses, especially if you want to pursue civil action for those damages.
How Can You Identify a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
There are several types of accidents that can lead to a brain injury. There’s a marked difference between a brain injury and a traumatic brain injury, however. Traumatic brain injuries tend to result in more brain tissue and blood vessel damage than their less severe cousins. This damage can include:
- Coup-contrecoup brain injuries
- Severe concussions
- Brain contusions
- Penetrating injuries
- Diffuse axonal injuries, or especially-severe concussions
There’s a chance that you may endure a second impact at the scene of your first, as well. These circumstances often result in second impact syndrome. Second impact syndrome tends to result in the memory loss, paralysis, and long recovery that popular culture often associates with traumatic brain injuries.
Unless you have a medical background, it may be difficult for you to distinguish between a brain injury and a traumatic brain injury. Some of the symptoms associated with TBIs don’t appear until several days after an accident. With that in mind, take anyone who’s hit their head during an accident to a medical professional for an assessment as soon as you can.
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What Are the Symptoms of a TBI?
When you or a loved one first develop a TBI, you may lose consciousness. However, any additional symptoms may take days to develop. Some of the most common symptoms of a TBI include:
- Aggressive or otherwise changed behavior
- Abrupt irritability
- Increased fatigue
- Loss of memory
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty speaking, writing, or communicating
- Loss of taste or smell
- Trouble hearing or seeing
The person who suffers from a TBI may not recognize the condition that they’re in after their accident. If the injured party is aggressive, you can turn to your family, friends, or medical professionals to help you get the injured party the treatment they need.
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How Long Does It Take to Recover From a TBI?
The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Recovery notes that it can take anyone with a TBI up to 12 months to make a full – or substantial – recovery. While there may be some skills that a person never regains, they have the potential to be back on their feet with the right medical treatment.
That said, each person is unique in terms of their recovery. Some parties who suffer from paralysis regain their ability to walk six months after a TBI. Others may not regain the ability at all. To assess how long your recovery may take, speak to a medical professional and set realistic – albeit hopeful – expectations for your future.
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Are TBIs Common?
The CDC estimates that roughly 1.5 million Americans suffer from a TBI on a year-by-year basis. While your skull does a lot of work to protect your brain, high velocity falls or crashes can render your body’s natural protections moot.
That said, you can also recover from a TBI. Medical professionals can walk you through your recovery, providing you with the tools you need to safely bring yourself back to 100 percent functionality. Even if parts of your life have been forever changed by your accident, both attorneys and medical professionals can help you make the most of your circumstances.
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Can You Demand Compensation for a TBI?
You can request compensation for your TBI losses in cases that appear to be someone else’s fault. If you can identify a liable party (or parties), you can work with a personal injury attorney to present your case to a county clerk.
When you submit a complaint within Virginia’s statute of limitations, Code of Virginia §8.01-243, you can request compensation for your losses with the backing of a court. This compensation can include coverage for your medical expenses, loss of workplace opportunities, lost wages, and other economic damages.
You can also refer to other TBI cases to determine what value your non-economic losses have. For example, your pain and suffering may translate into financial support that you can rely on. You can discuss what kinds of non-economic compensation apply to your case during an initial consultation with a Virginia personal injury lawyer.
Can Liable Parties Offer You Settlements After a TBI?
Some of the parties allegedly liable for a TBI may try to avoid your attempt to take them to court. These parties may make you a settlement offer meant to help you contend with the expenses related to your losses.
You can assess your settlement offer alongside an attorney. If the offer a liable party makes you doesn’t seem sufficient, you can either renegotiate or take your concerns to court. You tend to have more control over your accident compensation during the negotiation process. However, a judge can award you punitive damages in TBI cases involving gross negligence.
How Can an Attorney Help You Contend With a TBI?
If you’ve been in an accident resulting in a TBI, your circumstances may entitle you to compensation. For example, TBIs that result from a fall on someone else’s property can be brought to court as a premises liability case. The car accident that caused your TBI can reach a county clerk as a personal injury claim.
You can work with one of our personal injury lawyers in Richmond to gather the documentation needed to present your losses to a Virginia court. Christina Pendleton & Associates offers free case consultations to injured parties or the personal representatives who want to fight for financial support.
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