Annapolis Personal Injury Law Blog
Millions of individuals suffer what’s known as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year. However, even though this injury is so common, scientists say that there is still a large amount they still need to learn about it. When a Maryland resident suffers a traumatic brain injury in an accident that was due to other individuals’ negligence, victims are typically entitled to file personal injury claims against them.
In 2010, nearly 2.5 million visits to the emergency room were TBI-related and, of those contracted, over 50,000 resulted in death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As prevalent and deadly as they can sometimes be, TBIs can be difficult to diagnose, as they often present themselves differently — this means that people will show different symptoms for the same condition. Therefore, when individuals suffer a TBI, it might be days, months or even years before they’re aware of it if it’s not diagnosed right away and it could take even longer for them to realize the full impact of the injury on their brains.
Individuals who suffer a TBI might appear perfectly okay and alert once in the emergency room — unfortunately, as it sometimes takes several days for symptoms to appear, there’s a chance they might simply forget during that period of time when their doctors instruct them what to look out for. A TBI sometimes affects individuals’ ability to talk, relate to others and could even affect their ability to remember and focus. As an example, situations post-TBI that were once easy to handle are no longer so easy and can become incredibly stressful for some people.
When individuals suffer a traumatic brain injury that was caused by another individual’s negligence, the victim is typically entitled to file a personal injury claim against that party for documented monetary damages they have incurred due to the accident. Many TBIs require the victim to undergo a slew of different types of therapy, including physical, cognitive rehabilitation and psychiatry — the entry of a monetary judgement and a resultant award of damages can often help to ease some of the financial stresses that are often associated with being involved in an accident. When Maryland resident have cause to believe they have suffered a TBI, they should immediately seek professional medical attention and then consider consulting an experienced personal injury attorney.
Source: inforum.com, “Traumatic brain injury changes how Fargo man lives his life”, Tracy Frank, Dec. 20, 2015
