California Traumatic Brain Injury Attorneys
What to Expect Following a Traumatic Brain Injury
After a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), the effects can be devastating for the victim’s friends and family as well as for the victim. There are many predictable changes that can occur. Often, the changes and long-term effects of the TBI are as unique as the victim is as are the prospects of recovery. It can take weeks, months and even years for behavioral changes to appear, and they may remain consistent over time or they may not. The human brain is an extraordinarily complex organ. When it experiences injury, the symptoms depend a great deal on the severity of the injury, the location of the injury and the timeframe in which the victim receives effective treatment. In some cases, the brain is able to re-learn how to perform tasks such as walking, speaking, processing information, seeing and other essential tasks. However, if the injuries are too severe or the build-up of pressure inside the brain results in the death of too many brain cells, the victim’s prospects of recovery are grim.
Cognitive Difficulties and Rehabilitative Care
The type of rehabilitative care that a TBI victim receives in the weeks, months and years following the injury is largely dependent on the cognitive difficulties he or she is experiencing. Care providers have created a hierarchy of cognitive abilities that they use to evaluate TBI victims and develop a course of action for recovery. This hierarchy includes the following from first level to last, respectively:
- Alertness
- Processing sensory input and basic motor skills
- Attention and the ability to concentrate
- Language and other communication skills
- Spatial and constructional abilities such as drawing, building things and determining distances
- Memory skills and information retrieval abilities
- Reasoning and problem-solving skills
- Academic skills
The care the victim receives is essential for helping him or her regain function and independence. This care can last for a few months or for the rest of the TBI victim’s life. Again, the length and prospects of recovery are dependent on the location and severity of the injury, timeframe of diagnosis and the amount and duration of intracranial pressure the brain suffered. Victims and their families and friends can expect a long and expensive road to recovery as TBI victims generally require 24-hour care in an acute treatment center and/or assisted living facility.
Legal Options for TBI Victims and Their Families
The costs of rehabilitative care can quickly exhaust the savings of victims and their families, causing severe financial hardship in addition to the physical, mental and emotional hardships. If a victim suffered a TBI due to the careless or negligent actions of another party, he or she may be able to seek damages against the at-fault party with the assistance of an experienced brain injury attorney.
Contact The Brain Injury Legal Help Center today at (800) 610-1892 if you or a loved one has been the victim of a traumatic brain injury in California. Our California traumatic brain injury lawyers have a proven track record of successfully representing clients who have suffered from brain injuries. Call today.