4 Things You Need To Know About Traumatic Brain Injuries

There are more than 10 million car accidents every year in the United States. These accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the country, and the people who walk away with their lives don't always walk away uninjured. Many people suffer from traumatic brain injuries after a car accident, often with life-changing effects for themselves and their families. 

What are traumatic brain injuries?

The term traumatic brain injuries encompasses a wide range of injuries to the brain. The main types are concussions, closed head injuries, and open head injuries. Concussions occur when the brain is shaken and makes contact with the skull. This often happens in car crashes; when the car comes to an instant stop, the brain hits the front of the skull. This causes bruising on the brain.

Closed head injuries happen when the skull is intact, but the brain is damaged. A concussion is a type of closed head injury, but whiplash is another example. The brain can even tear from the force of the accident. Symptoms of these types of injuries can take a while to appear. Victims may feel uninjured at first, and realize later that they've been seriously injured. 

Open head injuries happen when the skull is fractured. This can happen when a driver's head hits the steering wheel, for example. These injuries look very frightening, but they're often less severe than closed head injuries, since pressure doesn't build up inside the skull.

Can traumatic brain injuries be treated?

Traumatic brain injuries vary widely in severity, and the treatments used vary just as much. One thing that most of these injuries have in common is surgery. Surgery can be performed to remove blood from the brain, fix bleeding tissues, or even remove severely damaged parts of the brain. Surgery is also needed to repair skull fractures. 

Recovery can take a long time, even when the treatments are successful. The recovery time varies from person to person, and doctors aren't very good at predicting recovery times. This is because the brain is still a very misunderstood organ. Usually, recovery is measured in months, but it can sometimes take years.

These treatments are very expensive, so if another driver was at fault, you should speak with a lawyer about receiving compensation.

How common are traumatic brain injuries?

Traumatic brain injuries are very common. About 1 million Americans suffer from one of these injuries every year, and as many as 100,000 of them will never make a complete recovery. For this reason, many personal injury lawyers specialize in brain injury cases. 

How much compensation can you get?

Many factors are considered during brain injury lawsuits. If your loved one is no longer able to work, their lost earnings will be considered. The costs of physical therapy or a paid caregiver are considered, as are harder to quantify factors like pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment of life. Most people will receive at least $100,000 from the lawsuit, but people with very serious injuries can receive millions of dollars. 

Make sure to choose an experienced lawyer who specializes in traumatic brain injury cases. Personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning they only get paid if they win, so don't worry about not being able to afford a good lawyer.

Traumatic brain injuries are a common injury after car accidents, but they change the lives of both the victims and their families. If your loved one has recently suffered from this type of injury, you need to call a personal injury lawyer. The person responsible for the injury needs to pay for their negligent driving. 


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