Approximately 1.4 million people suffer traumatic brain injuries in the United States, according to an article written by CareMeridian. A majority of these injuries occur from a fall, but car wrecks also attribute to a higher number of serious head injuries.
The people who survive these accidents may never fully recover and be able to resume the lives they enjoyed before the injury. To make matters even more challenging, it’s not immediately apparent to other people that someone suffered a traumatic brain injury. It’s not like losing a limb, where the visual immediately alerts people that this person may have been in a serious accident.
Common Brain Injury Side Effects
Some of the most common side effects of a brain injury include balance problems, sensitivity to bright lights, irritability, fatigue, sensory overload related to difficulties filtering out background noise, inability to initiate or follow through on tasks, and a lack of self-awareness of one’s own cognitive problems.
Not only is this difficult for the victim, but can be very challenging for the friends and loved ones of the victim. Just imagine seeing a friend or family member one day and then, after the injury, they become a different person. This is what many brain injury victims, and families with brain injury victims, deal with on a daily basis.
Speak to a Brain Injury Lawyer Today
If the injury was caused by the carelessness of another person or company – for example, in a car crash where you were hit by a negligent driver – then you should strongly consider hiring an attorney. Why? Because the cost of treatment, rehabilitation, lost wages, and medical bills can be staggering for a traumatic brain injury victim. In fact, a head injury can cost a victim, and their family, up to $4 million during a lifetime of care. Currently, $48.3 billion is spent as a direct and indirect result of traumatic brain injuries.
Our firm has seen the ramifications of a traumatic brain injury. We represented a client who was working at a gas station when a Norfolk Southern (NS) train barreled off the tracks and crashed into the gas station. This resulted in our client suffering a very traumatic brain injury.
It was so severe that our client now requires 16 hours a day worth of care and, essentially, someone there to act as a second brain. Our client’s life was changed forever and they deserved compensation from the careless railroad company. We were very happy to obtain, what was then, the largest brain injury verdict in Virginia history ($46 million verdict, but $60 million with interest; case settled confidentially during appeal).
Not every brain injury victim will be able to secure a verdict of that size, but if you feel you’ve been wronged by a corporation or a careless individual, it wouldn’t hurt to take the time to speak to an attorney to discuss your potential case.