All types of head trauma, from concussions to skull fractures so severe that they expose the brain, can leave accident victims struggling to recover past memories and learn knew information. Such cognition problems negatively affect every facet of a person’s life and make it difficult or impossible to work, maintain relationships and, sometimes, perform the basic activities of daily living.
LEARN MORE
- What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury?
- Study: Any Type of Head Trauma Can Cause Brain Damage
- There Is No Such Thing as a Mild Concussion
In short, head and brain injuries rob too many people of their most precious assets and abilities. Losing long-term memories changes one’s personality and weakens friendships and family bonds. Suddenly becoming unable to form short-term memories creates difficulties with engaging in meaningful conversations, keeping appointments and running errands. As my Virginia traumatic brain injury attorney colleagues and I learned while representing a TBI victim, cognition deficits brought on by a train derailment left our client incapable even of making change from a cash register.
Head and brain injury victims may also make poor advocates for themselves. They rarely recall details of their accident, and they can become overwhelmed by seemingly minor details and paperwork. This sets them up for being denied insurance settlements or winning personal injury lawsuits on technicalities. As much as they need to know they can count on friends and family, TBI victims may also benefit greatly from receiving advice and representation from caring, experienced plaintiff’s lawyers.
Holding the negligent or reckless party accountable for inflicting head trauma and memory loss is essential. Even when a person can recover most of his or her cognitive and communication abilities with time and therapy, the lingering effects of the accident can create lifelong problems.
EJL