In the medical world, a seemingly mild head injury can end up being a serious and life-changing brain injury. Traumatic brain injury can easily have a negative and long-term effect on your employment, family and personal relationships.
Sometimes traumatic brain injuries occur in a car accident stemming from the negligence of a fellow driver on the road. Fortunately, if you have suffered a brain injury in Louisiana in a crash caused by another driver’s recklessness, it is within your rights to seek to hold the other driver accountable for your injury and suffering.
What is a traumatic brain injury?
A traumatic brain injury can occur when your head strikes a hard surface and suffers harm in the process. For example, perhaps your head hit the steering wheel during an accident. Even if you didn’t lose consciousness at the crash scene or suffer a fracture in your skull, this does not necessarily mean that you did not suffer a brain injury.
Maybe you did not break any bones or develop any cuts, and perhaps you were even able to exchange insurance and driver’s license information with the person who caused your accident. In many accidents that involve a brain injury, the injured victims are often initially unaware of how significant their injuries are. Due to the significant time period that can pass before some victims notice any brain injury symptoms, some may even forget that they were initially involved in an accident.
Brain injury signs
Some of the most common issues related to traumatic brain injury include the following:
- Speech issues
- Trouble watching television or reading
- Irritability
- Dizziness and balance issues
- Fatigue
- Trouble organizing tasks and activities
- Memory issues
- Headaches
If you have suffered a brain injury, you might find it challenging to do the tasks you once took for granted. In addition, you might find yourself feeling depressed much more easily. These emotional reactions stem from the damage done to your nerve cells as a result of the blow to your head.
What are my rights as a victim?
You have the right to seek monetary compensation by means of a personal injury lawsuit if your brain injury resulted from someone else’s negligence. Monetary compensation cannot undo the events leading to your head injury, but it may help to address ongoing medical bills, the loss of wages due to not being able to work and other losses tied to your injury causing accident.