Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms in Virginia
A brain injury may result in symptoms that become evident at the moment of the accident, as well as symptoms that present themselves in the hours, days, weeks, or even months after the injury was sustained. Often, the initial damage is irreversible, but if treated properly and promptly, the overall impact of an injury may be contained or limited. If untreated, however, the adverse impacts may continue to multiply over time.
The traumatic brain injury lawyers at our firm have put together the following information on the signs, symptoms, and treatment of TBIs so that our potential clients might have a solid background on the subject matter. Call our law offices to speak with an attorney and learn more.
TBI Symptoms
A brain injury can impair one’s mental capacity and physical ability on a number of levels. Cognitive function, motor function, sensory function, and social and emotional function may all be adversely affected by a brain injury. For this reason, and because medical expenses can be exorbitant, it is likely in the interests of the victim or the victim’s family to contact an experienced attorney.
Cognitive Symptoms
The brain’s ability to retain information and remain attentive is often hampered as a result of TBI. Short-term and long-term memory loss may result, and a brain injured patient may find it difficult to process information or to follow through with even the simplest of tasks. These changes in the brain’s capabilities can make it impossible to hold down a job or properly function in society.
Motor Symptoms
An individual suffering from severe TBI may lose the ability to fully control his or her body. There may be weakness, difficulty in balancing, impaired coordination, and even paralysis. Simple activities that a healthy individual takes for granted, such as walking, sitting up, or even feeding oneself, may suddenly become challenging or even impossible. Many brain injury victims lose their independence and find it necessary to rely on the help of family and friends, skilled nurses, and therapists for assistance in their daily lives.
Sensory Symptoms
Damage to the brain often leads to impaired function of the basic senses. Vision loss and hearing loss are frequently associated with traumatic brain injury. Communication from the brain to the nerve endings can also be disrupted, causing an impaired sense of perception and touch. Fully experiencing the surrounding environment becomes a thing of the past for many suffering from severe TBI, thus delivering another serious blow to the victim’s overall quality of life.
Emotional and Social Symptoms
From birth to adulthood, learning to appropriately function in various social settings and everyday situations is key to developing normal, healthy relationships. When one suffers a brain injury, the ability to control emotional impulses may be seriously impaired. Some of the side effects of a TBI with respect >to emotion and impulse control may include the following:
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Lashing out (anger/rage/aggression)
- Irrational outbursts (laughing/crying inappropriately)
- Inappropriate verbal outbursts
- Easily agitated/frustrated
- Behavioral issues
- Lack of impulse control
- Personality changes
Victims who suffer from severe brain damage, and their loved ones, often describe themselves as merely a shell of their former selves. The personality and tendencies that once made them endearing may evaporate at the moment of injury, changing the life of the victim and his or her loved ones forever.
The Impact of Treatment
Severe injuries often result in the need for costly long-term medical care or continued treatments. These costs are in addition to the expenses for initial medical or emergency response care. A TBI is a catastrophic injury for which one can never be fully prepared–mentally, emotionally, or financially.
The financial burden associated with TBI often stems from these and other necessary treatments:
- Emergency care
- Hospitalization (possibly long-term)
- Advanced diagnostic testing
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- Other rehabilitative care
- Assistive technology and other special equipment needs
- Retrofitting of vehicle and/or home to accommodate disabilities
In addition to the medical and treatment expenses, the victim and family of a TBI victim may also endure financial hardships because of lost wages and employment opportunity during the process of treatment and care and beyond. These financial hardships can manifest themselves in the form of loss of earning potential if the individual is unable to perform his or her former job duties, the complete loss of income in the case of a primary income-provider who is unable to return to work, and the loss of insurance and other benefits once provided through the workplace.
Even if one who suffers from a traumatic brain injury is ultimately able to return to the same type of work as before, they may be limited in the number of hours they may work, the level of physical exertion in which they can safely engage, or the complexity of tasks that they can manage.
Call a personal injury lawyer at our firm if you’d like to discuss your options for filing a claim that can help you to cover the various expenses and losses that accompany a traumatic brain injury.
