Does your child play contact sports? Have you been in a car accident in the past several years? There are a wide variety of causes for TBI, also known as traumatic brain injury, but Americans may be severely underestimating their risk for these types of injuries. The causes of traumatic brain injury can range from a car accident to an injury sustained at work or on the playing field, and more than 1.5 million people are treated for TBI every year.
Fall accidents are actually the leading cause of traumatic brain injury and can result in injury or even death. Every year, more than 50,000 Americans die from head injury due to a car accident or fall accident. Choosing a lawyer in the event of a serious car accident is important: if you are having trouble concentrating or making phone calls due to a bodily injury or a brain injury, you may want to ask for help from trusted friends or family. Choosing a lawyer is essential: sometimes a concussion’s effects can take weeks or months to become apparent.
In the event of a serious, long-term traumatic brain injury due to fall accidents, car accidents, or a penetrative wound to the brain, you may wish to contact a brain injury advocate as well as a car accident attorney. Advocates are trained to help brain injury sufferers navigate health care needs, legal issues, and workplace accommodations. There are brain injury advocates in every state: if you need to meet with an advocate whose offices are located farther away than you are able to travel, you should be able to schedule a teleconference with brain injury advocacy professionals.
Fall accidents can be scary, and the most vulnerable individuals are under the age of five and over the age of 75. Those two groups of Americans rack up the highest rates of hospitalizations due to fall accidents every year. The long-term effects of a brain injury can range from trouble concentrating and performing everyday tasks to more severe problems with physical coordination and memory. People who have experienced blunt trauma injuries to their brains may begin to suffer from depression or even outbursts due to frustration and anger. The time it takes to recover from a traumatic brain injury can vary: some individuals will suffer for the rest of their lives, while others can regain most or all of their functioning. In the event of a serious fall accident or car accident, keep a close eye on friends or family in the weeks after the accident to see if they exhibit any signs of impaired functioning.
The days following car accidents or fall accidents are one of the most important times to consult a legal professional. You will need to make sure that you get treated at a local hospital or walk-in clinic: your lawyer may ask for proof that you have been treated for a traumatic brain injury. If you suspect that you are suffering from long-term traumatic brain injury — due to a physical assault — you should immediately contact a brain injury advocate and a lawyer. Teens who have been in fights will want to get themselves checked for injury, as will people who have suffered from long-term domestic abuse.
As cases of traumatic brain injury continue to rise, the pressure to treat them should remain high as well. Even a concussion should be treated as an urgent medical matter: most walk-in clinics have hours that jibe with working parents’ schedules. Taking your teen for a visit to a medical professional immediately after any sports-related injury could save their life. If you are an older adult and you have had one or more fall accidents, take time to schedule a visit with a medical professional in the next few days. American doctors are working to perfect the treatment for traumatic brain injuries, and their patients are anxious to learn their long-term prognoses.