A traumatic brain injury, also known as a TBI, is an umbrella term for a variety of head injuries that include an assortment of possible symptoms and disabilities. While traumatic brain injuries can range from mild to severe, no head injury should ever be ignored. Without proper treatment, a traumatic brain injury can cause permanent, sometimes fatal, complications.
Treatment and long-term care for victims of traumatic brain injuries can be complicated, costly procedures. Permanent disability is a common reality for severe head injury victims. If your traumatic brain injury occurred as the result of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to file an Illinois personal injury lawsuit to receive compensation for your medical bills and ongoing expenses. A Chicago personal injury attorney can help with this step.
Definition and Causes of Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury is any bruising, puncturing, or scraping of the sensitive tissues of the brain. While your skull and cerebral fluid is there to protect your brain from injury, they can still pose a danger to your sensitive grey matter.
Head injuries which cause impact to the skull can jar the brain and bruise it against the bone, causing swelling and sometimes bleeding or abrasions. Any head injury that punctures the skull can also puncture the brain, causing severe tissue damage and bleeding. Even a minor physical injury can lead to a traumatic brain injury.
Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Your brain controls every function of your body, from the flexing of muscles to your memory and speech. Because of the high sensitivity of your brain matter, as well as the high importance of its health in your everyday life, you should be alert to any of the following symptoms after a head injury:
- Dizzy spells
- Loss of consciousness
- Headaches or lightheadedness
- Confusion
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Fatigue
- Mood changes
- Trouble concentrating or remembering things
Traumatic brain injuries can result in more severe symptoms such as:
- Vomiting or nausea
- Convulsions or seizures
- Inability to awaken from sleep
- Dilated pupils
- Slurred speech
- Numbness of limbs
If there is any question of your condition after a head injury, you should seek immediate medical attention. Left untreated, many of these symptoms can lead to permanent brain damage, which can result in lifelong disability or death.
The second part of our article explains treatments for traumatic brain injury patients and how a Chicago personal injury attorney can help you claim compensation for your TBI-related medical bills and expenses if your traumatic brain injury was caused by someone else’s negligence.
Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injuries
Quick medical attention immediately after the head injury provides your best chance of minimizing the effects of a traumatic brain injury. Providing adequate oxygen to the brain and body, as well as managing other shocks to the body’s nervous and cardiovascular systems is important to help reduce stress on the brain.
Relevant tests after the initial head injury should include skull and neck X-rays and CT scans to check for skull fractures and soft tissue damage. The results from these tests will determine the severity of your traumatic brain injury and the proper course of action.
In most cases, rehabilitation is the only treatment and must be individually tailored to the patient in regards to their needs and specific areas damaged. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and mental support are all parts of rehabilitation efforts.
Life After A Traumatic Brain Injury
One of the biggest issues after a traumatic brain injury is the mental rehabilitation of the victim. Aside from the physical limitations that may arise from a traumatic brain injury, the mental health of the victim is also of concern.
Many head injuries result in abnormal behaviors, amnesia, and confusion which may be temporary or long-term symptoms.
Severe cases of traumatic brain injury can be life-altering. A severe brain injury may result in:
- changing a person’s personality
- violent mood swings
- chronic depression
- forgetfulness
- amnesia
- insomnia
- many other afflictions
Therapy with a psychiatrist may be appropriate for some rehabilitation scenarios.
Between physical and mental treatment, costs for recovery and adjusting to life after a traumatic brain injury can be immense. To make sure your family is provided for in the future, you should talk to a Chicago personal injury attorney about your legal options for recovering compensation from the party responsible for your injury.
Hiring a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney
Insurance company settlements don’t always take into account the severity of the impact a traumatic brain injury has on your life. Often, they’ll try to get away with paying the initial head injury treatment bills and neglect to factor in the future treatments, therapy and lost wages or disability.
The Chicago personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle, P.C. know the impact traumatic brain injuries can have on your life and want to help you provide for your future. Contact us today for a free case evaluation – (312) 263-1080.
