Long-term TBI symptoms following an accident can impact your life. From an experienced Greenville personal injury attorney, here’s what victims should know about TBI long-term symptoms.
Do You Have TBI Symptoms Long Term?
Some people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) recover in a few weeks, especially when the injury is minor. But many people have symptoms that last for months or years. These patients have long-term TBI symptoms.
TBI—a common problem in Greenville County
Greenville County, SC, reports above-average traumatic brain injury-related emergency department visits. In Greenville County, 332.5 per 100,000 males and 246.4 per 100,000 females visited an emergency department for a TBI in a five-year study period.
Long-term symptoms affect many with TBI
A study in the Journal of Neurotrauma reports that up to 43% of people who visit an emergency department for a TBI have long-term disability from their injuries. People with long-term TBI symptoms face disruption in daily activities, careers, and personal relationships.
What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?
Traumatic brain injury is harm to the brain that disrupts normal brain functioning. It is traumatic, so it results from an incident rather than from a medical issue or degenerative condition.
Most Common Causes of TBI in Greenville Accident Cases
Causes of TBI in Greenville car accidents include:
Shaking/concussion
The brain can suffer traumatic injury without an object ever touching it. Violent shaking can cause TBI.
When a car accident occurs, the forces of the accident and sudden deceleration can throw the head forward and backward. The brain can shake within the skull, disrupting the neurons and connections that enable the brain to function.
Penetrating object
A penetrating brain injury occurs when an object breaches the skull and enters brain tissue. The outer protective layer of the brain—the dura mater—is torn, and an object directly contacts brain tissue.
Mechanisms of damage are both primary and secondary. There may be primary damage from the object directly hurting brain tissue. In addition, swelling, hemorrhage, and oxygen deprivation can damage brain function.
Struck by an object
Blunt force can damage the brain without breaking the skull. The striking object may cause the brain to shake or rotate. Damage may occur when the brain strikes the interior of the skull. A bruise on the brain tissue is a contusion. In addition, a Diffuse Axonal Injury (DAI) may occur if rotation damages the brain’s white matter.
Long-Term Physical Symptoms of a Traumatic Brain Injury
Long-term physical symptoms of a traumatic brain injury fall into three categories: physical, cognitive, and emotional.
Physical
- Headaches
- Pain
- Fatigue
- Motor skills, coordination, imbalance
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Vision changes and impairment
- Seizures, dizziness
- Weakness, paralysis, muscle tremors
Cognitive
- Confusion
- Memory loss
- Processing information more slowly
- Executive function impairment
- Concentration deficit, lack of focus, poor attention
- Trouble solving problems
Emotional
- Anger
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Anxiety
- Personality changes
- Apathy
- Inappropriate emotional responses
- Poor social skills
- Lack of empathy
- Depression
Long-Term Cognitive and Emotional Effects of TBI
The long-term cognitive and emotional effects of TBI vary from person to person. A person may experience one long-term symptom or several symptoms. Symptoms may be mild or severe. These changes in the brain can impair work, overall functioning, and personal relationships. Long-term neurodegeneration may occur.
Cognitive and emotional changes can cause additional distress.
While these symptoms may be delayed from the accident itself, very real injuries and losses result from it.
How Long Do TBI Symptoms Last After an Accident?
How long TBI symptoms last after an accident depends on several factors:
- The severity of the initial injury
- Type of initial injury
- What symptoms were immediately apparent after the accident
- Timeliness of diagnosis and treatment
- Appropriateness of treatment
- Adherence to treatment plan
- Secondary injury
- Co-occurring injuries
- Health of the person at the time of injury
When injuries last more than three months, they are long-term or persistent TBI symptoms.
Why TBI Symptoms Are Often Delayed After a Car Accident
Symptoms of TBI are often delayed after a car accident because:
- The emotional upset of a car accident can mask severe symptoms.
- Harm may be secondary, from swelling and bleeding, rather than from the initial trauma.
- Secondary injury may worsen symptoms.
- Long-term effects may become more apparent over time.
- Brain trauma is not always visibly apparent and can be hard to diagnose.
- Soft-tissue injury can worsen over time. Treatment can impact the course of healing.
It’s important to seek additional medical guidance when long-term symptoms appear.
How Long-Term TBI Symptoms Increase Your Settlement Value
TBI injury compensation claims are based on losses. Long-term TBI symptoms mean that a traumatic brain injury may be more serious than if it had quickly healed.
Long-term TBI symptoms can lead to more economic losses. There’s a good chance that the person will have increased medical expenses. Their long-term injuries may interfere with their career. In addition, the symptoms themselves can constitute non-economic loss, such as communication difficulties and other impairments that diminish quality of life.
These losses and changes should be reflected in the settlement value of a TBI accident claim. It’s important not to settle the case too early, because long-term losses can significantly increase the settlement value.
Why TBI Victims in Greenville Need Sophisticated Legal Representation
It can be especially challenging to value brain injury claims. The severity of long-term symptoms may not be apparent in diagnostic imaging. You may need specialists to speak to long-term symptoms. Fact witnesses who have observed subtle changes can help prove non-economic damages.
A lawyer can be critical to a successful claim for long-term TBI symptoms. In addition to addressing the long-term effects of TBI, an experienced lawyer can handle the claim while you focus on recovery.
Contact an Experienced Greenville Personal Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one has suffered long-term TBI symptoms after an accident in Greenville, SC, we invite you to contact Bobby Jones Law.
Talk to an experienced Greenville personal injury lawyer to understand how long-term symptoms may impact your case value and how a lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Call or message us now.
