How Does TBI Caused by a Car Accident Impact Long-Term Health?
Suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating event for most victims. In many instances, they’re involved in some sort of accident that occurs due to the negligence of another. It could be a trucking accident caused by an impaired driver, or an innocent bicycle rider could be struck by a speeding motorist.
If this has happened to you or someone close to you, an experienced brain injury lawyer could help hold accountable those responsible for the accident. McEwen & Kestner has that experience, as well as a track record of delivering results on behalf of our clients. We know how to navigate the complexities of this kind of case. And we also know how to deal with the obstacles that insurance companies can present.
We urge you to get in touch with our firm as soon as possible so you can learn more about how we may be able to help. You can contact us online for a free case review, or you can give us a call at 651-224-3833.
What is Traumatic Brain Injury?
A TBI occurs when the victim’s head suffers some sort of violent impact. A car accident, for example, can result in the driver’s head striking some sort of hard surface inside the vehicle, such as a window or the dashboard. Someone shopping in a grocery or retail store could suddenly slip and fall, hitting their head on the floor and suffering a TBI in the process.
This type of injury can not only lead to a lifetime of physical debilitation. It can also result in cognitive issues that can be incredibly frustrating. A TBI can also lead to substantial financial losses. Here’s a closer look at the profound impacts a TBI will often have on a victim’s life.
Physical Effects
Severe TBI can lead to extreme fatigue. This can make victims so tired they no longer want to partake in the activities they used to love. Insomnia is also common, as is sleep apnea. Any sort of sleep disorder can make keeping a regular schedule extremely hard.
A TBI can also result in a loss of balance and coordination, as well as difficulty seeing or hearing. Debilitating migraines can occur, leading to excruciating pain on a regular basis. In some instances, a TBI can even result in the loss of control of the bowels and bladder.
Mental Effects
The victim of a TBI will oftentimes have difficulty processing and expressing their thoughts. They may find that focusing on everyday tasks is almost impossible. Reading a book or a magazine can be incredibly difficult, because it takes much longer than normal. And the injury victim may have a hard time making sense of what they’re reading.
The emotional impact of a TBI can’t be understated. Imagine trying to talk to a friend, a family member, or anyone else, and not be able to remember the words you want to say. TBI victims often have to live with that each and every day. They will often talk in circles and go off-topic, simply because their brain can’t organize their thoughts properly.
As you might expect, a TBI can have a devastating effect on a victim’s relationships. They may become so frustrated, and so angry, that they lash out for seemingly no reason. Victims will often not be able to process non-verbal cues from others, such as facial expressions. They may respond in an inappropriate manner as a result. Subtlety can be completely lost, such as being able to decipher another person’s body language, or even their tone of voice.
Financial Effects
Even when someone is “lucky” enough to suffer a relatively mild TBI, they could still be looking at medical bills of at least $90,000. When a victim’s TBI is severe, they could be looking at medical expenses of at least $3 million over the course of their life.
Receiving Compensation for a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
So how could a victim possibly ever hope to be able to pay those expenses? By talking to an attorney as soon as possible to take legal action against those who caused the accident.
If you can gather the evidence it takes to show that another party’s negligence caused the accident that led to the TBI, you can definitely force that party’s insurance company to provide you with the compensation you need. You can accomplish this by filing a personal injury lawsuit.
The attorney you choose will listen to the details of your case. Based on what you say, as well as that attorney’s experience in similar cases, your legal representative will have a very good idea of how much your case is worth. That might seem to be a cold way of describing the suffering you’ve been forced to endure. But putting a dollar value on your case will be necessary. That’s the amount it will take to pay for your medical expenses, as well as other “damages,” or financial losses, you’ve incurred.
Personal Injury Damages From a Car Accident
There are two main types of damages – economic and non-economic. Economic damages include not only medical expenses, but also lost wages and other tangible losses stemming from an accident. Non-economic damages are harder to quantify, such as pain and suffering and emotional distress. But a skilled attorney will know how to calculate those damages as well.
In some rare instances, victims may receive what are known as “punitive” damages from a jury when a personal injury case goes to trial. As the name implies, they’re meant to punish the defendant, and dissuade others from committing the same kind of negligence in the future. Punitive damages are typically much, much higher than economic or non-economic damages.
McEwen & Kestner Are Ready to Help You Get the Compensation You Deserve
The legal experts with McEwen & Kestner are standing by to tell you more about how our law firm may be able to help you obtain the compensation you deserve. Please schedule a free consultation by calling 651-224-3833 or using our online contact form.
