When it comes to injuries that individuals involved in personal injury incidents suffer, one in particular tops that list. That is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research shows that some 223,135 individuals were admitted to the hospital after suffering a traumatic brain injury in 2019.
It used to be where individuals diagnosed with TBIs had those conditions classified as mild, moderate, or severe. A concussion, for example, was generally placed into the mild category, whereas an impaling or gunshot injury that penetrated the brain would generally be deemed a severe injury.
Below, we’ll discuss common symptoms associated with traumatic brain injuries, as Attorney Dominick “Rusty” Bianca pointed out in the video above, and others in more detail.
Signs You May Have Suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury
While our attorneys at Bianca | Matkins are certainly not neurosurgeons or any other type of physician by any stretch of the imagination, we have handled our fair share of brain injury cases. In these situations, we’ve been tasked with reviewing our clients’ medical records to make liability determinations or preparing a demand letter to send to the insurance company to request compensation on their behalf for their losses.
Someone who potentially has a traumatic brain injury may display some of the following symptoms:
- Persistent headaches
- Confusion
- Nausea, sometimes causing vomiting
- Poor coordination
- Mouth droopiness that affects articulation of speech
- Dilated pupils
- Bouts of unconsciousness
- Increased sensitivity to light
- Loss of sense of smell
- Decline in ability to taste
Some of the TBI symptoms may be indicative of brain swelling or the existence of a bleed or blood clot on the brain. Symptoms like these could cause you to suffer even more brain damage than you already have, or result in your death.
Long-Term Impairments TBI Patients Suffer
While everyone who suffers a TBI isn’t likely to experience the symptoms as one another, some of the more common residual ones include:
Cognitive Difficulties Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Face
This is the category into which those “thinking” setbacks Attorney Bianca described as affecting traumatic brain injury patients fall into. Impairments like these may cause someone with a TBI to find it challenging to:
- Focus on what’s being said to them
- Verbalize what they’re feeling or to do so articulately (due to them having slurred speech)
- Process information being conveyed to them
- Follow simple logic necessary to perform everyday tasks correctly
- Use problem-solving skills necessary to render sound decisions
Memory Challenges TBI Patients Experience
These “remembering” issues can not only affect a person’s ability to recall events in the past like their personal data, wedding, the birth of their child, and information they once had expertise in due to their education or job role, but can also adversely impact their ability to retain newly occurring information. Even in instances in which a TBI patient doesn’t suffer lasting memory loss, they may still experience temporary or even persistent bouts of brain fog or confusion.
Mental Setbacks Caused by TBIs
These are perhaps the most notable adverse outcomes associated with traumatic brain injuries as they tend to alter a victim’s essence and affect their quality of life, leaving them vulnerable to being diagnosed with behavioral health conditions such as anxiety or depression.
Some of the more notable emotional or behavioral health concerns, in addition to the above-referenced, that affect TBI patients include:
- Nervousness
- Easily irritable
- Anger issues
How a Traumatic Brain Injury Affects Social Skills
Social challenges someone who has suffered a TBI might experience include:
- Mood or personality shifts
- An inability to keep up with or engage in meaningful conversations
It, therefore, shouldn’t come as a surprise that TBI patients often experience deteriorations in their relationships with others that were once closest to them.
Behavioral Impacts of TBIs
There are some residual effects associated with traumatic brain injuries that don’t explicitly fit into the categories above but do affect who a victim is nonetheless. One of the behavioral impacts associated with a TBI is a change in sleep patterns (which can mean a person sleeps more or less than they once did).
Are the Symptoms or Impairments TBI Patients Experience Lasting?
There are some who believe that some individuals who suffer traumatic brain injuries, such as children or healthy young adults, have resilient bodies and brains that have the strongest potential of recovering from a brain injury, especially if it’s more minor in nature.
The same CDC report discussed above spells out how of all age groups, those 17 and under or 75 and over are most likely to be hospitalized after suffering traumatic brain injuries. That same federal agency data shows that in 2019, for example, over 16,000 children received TBI diagnoses requiring their admission to the hospital. CDC statistics also suggest that, on average, 32% of TBI victims were elderly persons fitting into the above-referenced age group.
It should also be noted that another recent CDC study shows that in general, five years removed from the date someone suffers a traumatic brain injury, the following is the case:
- 26% of patients have experienced improvements in their condition since their injury occurred
- 22% of TBI patients haven’t experienced any marked improvements in their medical status since they were hurt
- 30% of traumatic brain injury patients with mild to severe injuries experience a worsening of their symptoms
- 22% of moderate to severe TBI patients experience such a deterioration in their health post-injury that they pass away
The best-case scenario is that you’ll make a complete recovery and overcome the health setbacks that you’re currently experiencing as a result of you suffering a traumatic brain injury. However, as the statistics above show, improvements may not come to everyone at the same rate.
You undoubtedly have significant medical bills and perhaps lost wages, whether you initially had a brain injury that you’ve now seemingly recovered from or you’ve been left with lasting disabilities and require follow-up care or are unable to work. Meeting with a Baton Rouge brain injury lawyer at Bianca | Matkins for a free consultation can be a good way for you to learn about your rights to file suit in your case to recover your losses. So, if that interests you, reach out to us now.
