When an accident occurs, several things are bound to happen; one of such is injury. Accident victims can sustain various types of injuries, ranging from minor to severe. At worst, these wounds could be catastrophic or fatal. An excellent example of a catastrophic injury that could also turn fatal is a brain injury.
Brain injuries have long-lasting effects, and some of them are not immediately apparent. This article looks at some of the effects of a brain injury on a victim’s life. If you suffer this wound due to another person’s negligence, you deserve to get compensation. Our Carrollton car accident lawyers can help you get the maximum compensation from the fault party.
What Are the Causes of Brain Injuries?
Brain injuries or traumatic brain injuries occur when an object strikes the head violently. The object must have gone through the skull to the brain tissues to qualify as a brain injury. For example, a wound that only affects the skull and the outer part of the head is a head injury, not a brain wound.
A brain injury can be mild, moderate, or severe. Symptoms may appear immediately after the traumatic event or days or weeks after. These symptoms are grouped into physical, sensory, and cognitive. They include the following:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Loss of consciousness, usually for some minutes
- Depression or anxiety
- Convulsions or seizures
- Slurred speech
- Coma, etc.
Some of the symptoms for children include:
- Change in nursing or eating habits
- Persistent crying
- Inattention
- Drowsiness
- Depression
- Seizures, etc.
Common causes of brain injury include:
- Slip and fall or falling from heights
- Automobile accidents
- Sports injury
- Workplace accidents
- Violent acts
- Explosive blasts and combat injuries
How Does a Brain Injury Affect a Person’s Life?
The more severe brain injuries are, the greater their effect. Below we look at some of the ways a brain injury affects a person’s life.
Altered Consciousness
When a person suffers a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury, it might affect their state of consciousness, awareness, and responsiveness. The preceding could be prolonged or permanent. It is prolonged if the person ends up in a coma or a minimally conscious state. Conversely, it is permanent if they end up in a vegetative state or become brain dead.
Intellectual Deficiency
A brain injury affects and changes the way a person thinks and processes information. Some people with significant injuries find it hard to process thoughts and have difficulty focusing. In essence, they develop issues with:
- Thinking
- Learning
- Reasoning
- Attention
- Judgment
- Organization
- Multitasking, etc.
Difficulty Communicating
Another effect of traumatic brain injury is communication problems. The injury makes a person unable to understand and articulate as they used to. This could, in turn, cause anger, frustration, and conflict for the victim and their friends, family, and colleagues.
Common communication problems include:
- Inability to understand speech or writing
- Inability to speak
- Difficulty following a conversation
- Inability to start, stop or follow a conversation
- Dysarthria that is, difficulty using the muscles needed to form words
Behavioral and Emotional Changes
Those close to severe brain injury victims can attest to the changes in their behavior. People with this injury often find it hard to control themselves and engage in risky behavior. They also have a lack of awareness, verbal or physical outbursts, and cannot handle themselves socially. In addition, the person might have some emotional problems like:
- Lack of empathy
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Insomnia, etc.
Sensory Problems
Brain injuries also result in the following sensory problems:
- Blurred, double vision, or blind spots
- Dizziness and trouble balancing
- Bitter taste, bad smell, or difficulty smelling
- Bad hand-eye coordination
- Persistent ringing in the ears or skin tingling
- Difficulty recognizing objects
Can a Brain Injury Victim Get Compensation?
If a person’s negligence, whether in an accident or otherwise caused your brain injury, or that of a loved one, compensation is possible. This is because Georgia is a fault-based compensation state, so the fault party compensates the victim. The compensation would cover economic and non-economic damages. If you file a lawsuit, the court may award punitive damages if there’s evidence of gross negligence.
Get Help Today by Contacting Experienced Carrollton Personal Injury Lawyers!
At the Law Office of John B. Jackson, our Carrollton personal injury attorneys understand the impact a brain injury can have on your life. Unfortunately, it also results in many medical bills and financial losses, especially if you stopped working while getting treatment. This is why you should get compensation from the fault party.
Our experienced attorneys can help you get the compensation that would give you the semblance of life you had before the accident. We do not demand upfront fees, so contact us today for a free case review.
