Traumatic brain injuries are serious. The effect that they can have on your health, relationships, career, and overall quality of life can be devastating. If you are considering pursuing a Miami personal injury case following an accident, it’s critical that you understand how a TBI can manifest and how this can affect your claim.
Brain injuries are not like other bodily injuries. Many traumatic brain injury victims experience the consequences of their accidents for months, years, and sometimes even the rest of their lives.
What’s worse—sometimes these victims lose out on the compensation they need to care for their injuries. They miss the opportunity to get the money they deserve for their pain and suffering because they don’t understand how the nature of TBIs themselves can affect the outcome of a case.
Sometimes these victims settle for too little because they have the pressure of medical bills and other expenses weighing on them. Or they settle too soon. They think that going to court won’t be worth the trouble, so they take what they can get.
Here’s what you should know to avoid such a situation.
Is the Traumatic Brain Injury Mild or Severe?
Brain injuries are either mild or severe. In cases of mild TBI, the victim usually loses consciousness for a half hour or less. But don’t let the name fool you—mild TBI symptoms can last for a year or more.
Symptoms of mild TBI include changes in mood or disposition, violent tendencies, coordination problems, depression, and memory loss. Sensory loss symptoms, such as numbness, loss of smell, loss of taste, and sensitivity to sound and light, are also common. Some mild TBI patients also experience nausea and seizures.
Mild traumatic brain injury victims usually see a full recovery. On the other hand, moderate to severe brain injury patients may never recover fully.
For moderate to severe brain injuries, symptoms may begin to appear within days. These symptoms can include dilated pupils, difficulty speaking, confusion, and clear fluid draining from the ears or nose, in addition to the above symptoms for mild TBI.
Some TBI Symptoms May Not Appear for Weeks
While some symptoms can become apparent immediately following an accident, others can take days or even weeks to present themselves. For this reason, it is absolutely critical that you speak to a doctor following a head injury, especially if you notice the above symptoms. Doing so will not only ensure that you receive potentially life-saving care but also that your injuries are well documented so that you can prove your case later.
How TBI Can Affect Your Miami Personal Injury Case
With every traumatic injury case, there is a possibility that the effects of the injury could be permanent. Of course, with a permanent disability, there is a high likelihood that you will need extra care, and therefore, you will be entitled to more compensation. Speaking to a Miami personal injury attorney is absolutely critical if you are in an accident that causes a TBI.
If calculating the damages for personal injury is a complicated task, then putting a fair price on medical cost and pain and suffering of a brain injury is a monumental undertaking. Wouldn’t you want to know that you have someone on your side who knows exactly how to do that?
Are you ready to pursue your case? Contact us today and set up an appointment to speak to an attorney. Call us at (888) 450-4909, or write to us at [email protected].
