A traumatic brain injury is the result of a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury. What separates a TBI from a typical head injury is that TBIs disrupt the normal function of the brain, whereas other types of head injuries may result in nothing more than surface wounds. TBIs are a serious public health threat in Oklahoma and throughout the United States, as they contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability. Though there are several activities that may cause a TBI-such as playing sports, falling, or rough housing-one of the most common causes of TBIs is automobile accidents.
At BDIW Law, we know just how negatively a TBI can affect a person’s future and relationships. For this reason, we advocate on behalf of victims of TBIs and strive to help them recover compensation for their losses via personal injury cases.
Symptoms of a TBI
Because every person’s brain responds differently to different stimuli, the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury vary drastically from person to person. This, along with the fact that symptoms of TBI do not arise until days or even weeks after the causing incident, make TBIs particularly difficult to diagnose. Moreover, the severity of TBIs vary from person to person and may be as mild as short-term headache, nausea, and vomiting or severe as cranial nerve damage, which causes paralysis of facial muscles, loss or altered sense of taste, smell, or vision, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
That said, there are some tell-tale signs of TBI for which you can keep an eye out. Those include the following:
● Sleep problems (inability to sleep or sleeping too much);
● Fatigue or drowsiness;
● Loss of balance or dizziness;
● Blurred vision;
● Sensitivity to light or sound;
● Feelings of depression or anxiety;
● Memory or concentration problems
● Mood swings;
● Loss of coordination;
● Profound confusion;
● Slurred speech;
● Combativeness, aggression, or other unusual behavior;
● Seizures;
● Loss of interest in activities that one once enjoyed; and
● Personality changes.
For those with mild TBIs, symptoms may be short-term. However, those with more severe cases may be forced to live with one or more of the many symptoms of the injury.
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SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY TODAYHow TBI can Negatively Impact Your Life
As you can tell by the above list, moderate to severe TBI symptoms do not just create a mild inconvenience. The symptoms of a TBI have the potential to impact every aspect of your life, including your work life and your relationships. For instance, blurred vision, loss of coordination, profound confusion, and memory or concentration problems may result in the inability for one to perform his or her job duties. Mood swings, competitiveness, and general personality changes may be the reason an injured party’s marriage fails, or that he or she loses custody of children.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for a TBI. Therapy and other treatments may help manage symptoms, but as of yet, not much can be done to reverse changes. Sadly, victims of accidents that sustain TBIs must learn to cope with the symptoms and all the changes that come with them.
Contact an Oklahoma Personal Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one sustained a traumatic brain injury in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, you may have to learn to deal with the side effects of the injury. However, you should not have to should derthe financial consequences of the other party’s negligence. Contact the Oklahoma personal injury lawyers at BDIW Law to learn more about what you can do to hold the other party accountable for his or her actions.