Maryland Attorney Discusses Brain Trauma Caused by Car Accidents

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) means damage or destruction of brain tissue after a serious blow to the head. TBI can happen due to an assault, a gunshot, a bad fall, sports injuries and other causes. But the reality is many TBIs are due to injuries sustained in an auto accident due to the head striking something in the vehicle or whiplash occurring the impact.

A concussion is most well know form of TBI.

Why you should seek immediate medical attention 

Injury to the frontal lobe of the brain often complicates motor function, memory, language and social behavior. When the temporal lobe is damaged, so are one’s vision and comprehension skills. A major head injury can also tamper with the neuronal axons – the long threadlike arms of nerve cells in the brain - which can cause an array of symptoms are often hard to pin down. 

Symptoms can be immediate, or evident up to weeks after the injury. They can include:  

• Loss of consciousness for a few seconds to a few minutes, or longer. 
• Feeling the sensations of being dazed, confused or disoriented. 
• Blurred vision, ringing in the ears, a bad taste in your mouth or changes in the ability to smell. 
• Headaches
• Sensitivity to light or noises
• Memory or concentration problems. 
• Mood swings 
• Nausea

How long does recovery take from a TBI?

Recovering from a TBI depends on a variety of factors, the most important being the severity of the injury. Sometimes recovery is speedy, sometimes less so.  

Some who have experienced a TBI offer these tips in dealing with loved ones still on the road to recovery: 

• Realize that physical fatigue is as real as a kind of brain fatigue. 
• Realize while a loved one might look good “on the outside,” brain injury rehab usually is measured in months or years. 
• Social situations can cause stress. Crowds and loud sounds can be overwhelming. 
• Patience is a gift you can give. 
• Try to notice the circumstances if a behavior problem surfaces. They can be a hint that a loved one is in pain, frustrated, confused or overtired. 
• Don’t be condescending or talk to someone with a TBI as if they were a child. Remember the injury may cause them to lose some basic processing skills, making it harder to perform once routine tasks, follow directions, memorize daily routines, among them.
• Be a cheerleader. Everything counts in the healing process. 

If you have been injured through no fault of your own, have mounting medical bills, are fretting over lost wages, or dealing with pain and suffering, you need an experienced Maryland auto accident attorney on your side. Contact the Law Offices of Stuart L. Plotnick. He can work with you against insurance companies that aren’t being fair to you.