How a Traumatic Brain Injury Changes Your Personal Injury Claim

From motorcycle crashes to slip-and-fall accidents, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can happen in all kinds of circumstances. If you or a loved one has been injured, it’s important to understand the specific factors that impact a personal injury claim involving a TBI. The brain injury lawyers at Moore Law Firm share valuable information that can help you better understand what your claim may be worth and the types of damages you may be entitled to receive.

What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?

A traumatic brain injury occurs when the brain sustains damage inflicted by blunt force trauma or violent shaking of the head that causes the brain to hit the skull. TBIs can range from a mild concussion to severe brain injuries that affect cognitive and mental function.

Traumatic Brain Injuries Are Often Life-Altering

The short- and long-term effects of a traumatic brain injury can be life changing. Depending on the severity of a TBI, an injured victim may require extensive diagnostic testing and treatment, surgery, hospital stays, medications, physical and occupational therapy, ongoing nursing care, and other costly medical expenses. This alone can be financially and emotionally overwhelming for victims and their families.

A traumatic brain injury can also dramatically diminish a victim’s quality of life. They may suffer from depression and no longer be able to do the things they used to enjoy. This can take a serious toll on their physical and mental health, not to mention their relationships. Many victims of TBI aren’t able to return to work or earn a living, which also puts their financial future in serious jeopardy.

These issues create important distinctions between brain injury claims and personal injury claims for other types of injuries. For example, if you suffer mild whiplash in a rear-end car accident, you will likely recover eventually and return to your ‘normal’ life. For many people with TBI, their lives are irrevocably changed by their injury.

Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury

Two of the major consequences of traumatic brain injuries are personality changes and a decline in cognitive abilities. In addition, victims may suffer physical pain like headaches, migraines, and nerve pain. The emotional suffering of TBI victims and their families cannot be understated. Some of the other effects of TBI are truly debilitating, and include:

• Unconsciousness
• Coma
• Trouble concentrating
• Memory issues
• Speech and language problems
• Loss of coordination
• Mood swings
• Aggression
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Dizziness
• Loss of balance
• Nausea
• Chronic pain
• Vision loss or impairment
• Seizures
• Insomnia

Calculating Damages in TBI Cases Is Complex

Unlike many other types of personal injury claims, TBI cases usually require the calculation of damages such as future loss of income or earning capacity. Future damages can compensate you for losses like medical bills, physical pain, and mental anguish as well.

While many injuries sustained in accidents eventually heal, most serious TBIs do not. This means that traumatic brain injury claims often involve much higher amounts of compensation than other personal injury claims. An experienced brain injury lawyer should know how to accurately value all damages and fight to help you recover the maximum compensation you need to protect your health and financial future.

Traumatic Brain Injury Claims Usually Require Expert Testimony

Insurance companies do everything they can to devalue personal injury claims and minimize the severity of a victim’s injuries. Expert witnesses like medical professionals and therapists can explain how long injuries are likely to last and the physical, emotional, and mental impacts on your life today and in the future. Personal injury attorneys also call on expert economists to illustrate the long-term financial repercussions of your injuries and how your post-accident career prospects diverge from your possible career trajectory before the accident.

What to Do if You’ve Sustained a TBI in an Accident

Whether you or someone you love has been hurt in a fall, car crash, sports accident, or another type of mishap, it’s important to contact a personal injury lawyer to learn about your options for recovering compensation. If a negligent party’s actions or inaction caused a traumatic brain injury, an attorney can protect your rights, help you hold all responsible parties accountable, and fight for the full and fair amount of compensation you need to move on with your life.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Mobile, Alabama

At Moore Law Firm, we’ve helped more than 15,000 injury victims in Alabama find the justice and compensation they deserve. Call us today at 251-445-7602 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a brain injury lawyer.