Did you know that 3 million people are injured each year in car accidents in the U.S.? Whether you’re recently in an accident or assault, you might be experiencing a traumatic brain injury.
You might be wondering what the next steps you should take are. In this article, explore why you’ll want a traumatic brain injury lawyer. Read on to discover just how they can help you ensure that you receive the care you deserve and need.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury means that trauma or force causes your injury. This can be from falls, assaults, and accidents. Even with a mild injury, you can suffer permanent impairments.
Another type of brain injury is what’s known as an acquired brain injury. This is from a stroke, disease, or oxygen deprivation. It can be from wrongful conduct or negligence.
Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms
Even if you’re experiencing mild symptoms, you’ll still want to seek medical treatment. Some physical symptoms you might experience are headaches, loss of consciousness, nausea, confusion, insomnia, dizziness, or problems with speech.
You might also experience sensory symptoms such as sensitivity to sound or light, or blurred vision. Mental symptoms can include trouble concentrating, depression, or mood swings.
More severe symptoms can be a loss of coordination, vomiting, dilation, seizures, weakness, etc. Mental symptoms appear as well such as a coma, confusion, slurred speech, and agitation.
What Is a Concussion?
A concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury. It’s from a jolt, bump, or blow. This is when your brain and head move quickly back and forth. It can cause your brain to bounce around in your skull which can lead to damage in the brain cells or changes in brain chemistry.
Do You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
You should speak with a brain injury lawyer to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Brain injuries can cause long-term problems and might mean a loss in wages at work.
You might want to search for an injury lawyer near me for several reasons such as lost income, pain and suffering, or medical expenses. Medical expenses can include doctor’s appointments, surgery, rehabilitative therapy, etc.
Pain and suffering can also cause emotional trauma as well. This trauma can impact not only impact your life, but your family’s too.
What Should You Do Right After a Brain Injury?
Right after your injury occurs, you’ll want to receive medical attention right away. You might not know that you’re experiencing traumatic brain injury until you experience tiredness, headaches, and confusion.
If you leave them untreated, they can become worse. In addition to receiving medical treatment, you should speak with an attorney.
Keep Proper Documentation
Before meeting with a brain injury lawyer, it’s a good idea to pay attention to how the accident happened, whether it’s an accident or a fall. If you’re able to document what happens or take photos, do so.
For a fall, keep track of how you fell. What parts of your body hit the surface?
Take pictures of the shoes you’re wearing, look for witnesses, and take a picture of any problems in the pavement or walkway. If you’re in a different location than usual, you’ll want to find out the property owner’s name.
It’s also a good idea to keep a journal where you can write down what symptoms you’re experiencing. Write down recovery plans, treatment, and the injuries you’re experiencing.
When you document what happens, it increases your chances of having an injury claim against a property owner. Ensure that after the accident, the owner of the property takes the proper steps necessary to avoid the fall happening to someone else.
How To Prevent Traumatic Brain Injuries?
Whether you’re riding a motorcycle, bike, or skateboard, always wear a helmet. Wear proper head protection as well when you’re riding a horse, skating, skiing, playing baseball, etc.
To prevent falls, you’ll want to ensure that you receive regular exercise, remove rugs, have handrails on staircases, improve lighting, and have a nonslip mat in your shower or tub.
What Diseases Go With Traumatic Brain Injuries?
If you have a traumatic brain injury, you’ll be at an increased risk for different conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Wernicke-Korsokoff syndrome. You can also experience long-term symptoms such as poor speech and communication, trouble with reasoning tasks, and emotional problems.
Tests To Determine Traumatic Brain Injuries
You might need to do different tests that take a look at your thinking, motor skills, recall, and reasoning. You might have an MRI to take a look at your brain so your doctor can see water molecules in the tissue. Without health insurance, these tests can be expensive.
Rehabilitation
If you’re experiencing a brain injury, there’s a good chance you’ll need rehabilitation. Rehabilitation can teach you skills such as talking and walking. It’ll help improve your different activities.
Different specialists you might see include neuropsychologists, physiatrists, physical therapists, recreational therapists, or vocational counselors to name a few. If you’re experiencing emotional pain after the accident, you might want to consider joining a support group. If you’re back at work or school, it’s a good idea to have breaks throughout your day.
Exploring Why You Need a Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
Now that you’ve explored why you need a traumatic brain injury lawyer, you should have a better idea if you need one or not. Would you like to read more content about health? For more on home and health, check out our other articles today.
