Deciding Which Charges to Pursue

Posted on: 7 July 2015

During personal injury negotiations, it is important to consider not only the present loss, but also potential future damages. For example, accidents that involve blows to the head can result in traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBS is a brain dysfunction emanating from an external mechanical force. The dysfunction has long-term consequences that may include:

Reduced Awareness

TBI-induced brain malfunction can result in reduced awareness or lack of consciousness. This will affect your decision-making abilities and may even reduce your participation in your family's affairs. You may need somebody to take care of these pre-injury activities such as taking the children to school. Obviously this person won't do these things for free; the defendant in your injury case should pay for these costs too.

For example, there is a report of a woman with TBI (undiagnosed at the time) who found herself driving on the wrong side of the road. She wasn't even aware of what she was doing or how she had switched lanes. In severe cases, traumatic brain injury may even put you in a coma.

Communication Issues

TBI can also make it difficult for you to communicate. You may feel the effect in all parts of communication including the ability to understand words, speak, read or even write. Specifically, you may find that you can't:

• Recognize words you used to know
• Connect your words to make coherent speeches
• Understand words if they aren't repeated several times
• Maintain a topic of conversation for long

For this reason, you may need ongoing help from a speech and language therapist. This means your claim should include the professional fees of a speech and language therapist.

Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Lastly, and this may be the most difficult long-term effect, your behavior and emotions may also change. You may find yourself arguing unnecessarily with your loved ones. You may even feel angry at things that you used to take in your stride before your injury. You can imagine just how traumatizing this can be when you imagine how your emotions and behaviors are harming your family. Obviously, the person responsible for your injury should compensate you for this pain and suffering.

As you can see, TBI can cause you lots of problems in the long run. It is essential to factor in all these problems in your claim so that you can get the compensation you deserve. This is one of the main advantages of hiring a lawyer like one from Tarkowsky & Piper Co. LPA with experience in handling a traumatic brain injury case.