Traumatic brain injuries can change the lives of survivors and their families dramatically. Patients may become unable to work and they may need extensive medical treatment or supportive care for years or the rest of their lives. Because of the demands of the injury, family members may find themselves taking on more intensive caretaking roles.
If you are taking on the role of caretaker for a TBI patient, how can you best support your loved one or family member? What can you expect in the aftermath of a TBI?
If your loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by someone else’s actions, then you might be able to file a personal injury lawsuit on their behalf to help get the support that they need. A personal injury claim can get financial compensation to offset the losses caused by the injury, such as lost income, medical bills, and out-of-pocket expenses. You hold the person responsible for the injury accountable for their negligent actions.
At Sepulveda Sanchez Law, we’ve helped countless clients throughout California get the compensation they deserve for catastrophic injuries that profoundly affect their lives. We know what you’re going through – we’re here to help you navigate the legal process and support you through this challenging time. Our experienced personal injury lawyers take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay any legal fees upfront and you only pay us if we recover compensation for you.
Learning about your loved one’s injury is the first step to supporting them.
The brain is extremely complex and responsible for most of the body’s functions. As a result, even “mild” TBIs like “minor” concussions can have serious consequences.
Traumatic brain injury can happen if your head is hit with enough force to injure or bruise the brain’s gray matter – neurons, veins, and arteries. This happens most often in a crash, in a fall, or as a result of being struck by an object. You can also suffer TBI if your head “whips” too fast in an accident, causing your brain to strike the inside of your skull.
Because the brain is so complex, the symptoms of TBI can vary widely from person to person and may include temporary or permanent memory loss, difficulties communicating or speaking, seizures, nausea, vomiting, confusion, disorientation, problems seeing or hearing, or even personality changes. The more serious the injury, the more severe symptoms you can expect.
Some traumatic brain injuries get better over time, especially with proper medical treatment, supportive care, and rehabilitation. The improvements may be slow and gradual, but patients can see real progress, with some getting back significant abilities that they lost after the injury.
But unfortunately, TBIs can also get worse over time. According to the CDC, within 5 years of suffering a TBI, 26% of patients improved, 22% stayed the same, 30% actually got worse, and 22% passed away. Even with intervention, your loved one’s condition may not improve.
Besides learning as much about your loved one’s injury as you can to understand what they’re going through, you can take the following steps to help them recover or cope:
Finally, if your loved one’s injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, then you should talk to a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Click here to contact our experienced team of attorneys at Sepulveda Sanchez Law for a free consultation of your case.