What Are the Effects of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury?
While some motor vehicle accidents result in minor scrapes and bruises, others can result in more drastic consequences: not just broken bones, but injuries to the brain, such as a severe traumatic brain injury.
While many people are familiar with mild traumatic brain injuries – what’s commonly known as a concussion – the effects of a severe traumatic brain injury may take some by surprise. Traumatic brain injuries result from a bump or blow or jolt to the head, and are responsible for 30 percent of all deaths resulting from injury. In 2010 alone, traumatic brain injuries were a contributing factor in the deaths of over 50,000 people. Motor vehicle accidents were the third leading cause of such injuries, behind only falls and unintentional blunt trauma.
Typically, a person suffering from severe traumatic brain injury will experience an extended period of unconsciousness, or coma, and/or memory loss following the injury. Other effects of such an injury can potentially last for the rest of a victim’s life.
Many of our clients who are suffering from traumatic brain injuries face a number of issues which may be short-term in duration or long-term. Attention and memory (also known as cognitive functions) may be affected. So might motor function, resulting in weakness in the extremities and impairments in both coordination and balance.
With severe traumatic brain injuries, the senses can also be affected, resulting in impairments in vision, hearing, touch or perception. Emotional effects may also surface, including depression or anxiety, increased feelings of anger and aggression and possibly changes in personality.
Those who suffer from a disability related to a traumatic brain injury may have difficulties in the activities of daily living and the effects can also affect personal relationships. The consequences of the effects arising from a severe traumatic brain injury can be quite drastic, both for those suffering from the injury and for their friends and family as well.
After a car accident, an experienced attorney is one of the few people who will advocate for your best interests. Robert Greening is the principal attorney at GreeningLaw, P.C. He has dedicated his 24 years of practice to the litigation of wrongful death and serious injury cases. If you have any questions, contact GreeningLaw, P.C. at 972-934-8900.