You Don’t Need to Lose Consciousness to File a Traumatic Brain Injury Claim
Although serious traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are sometimes associated with a loss of consciousness, you don’t need to black out to suffer an injury or file a lawsuit to recover damages after being hurt in an accident that wasn’t your fault.
Mild traumatic brain injuries are often reported after accidents, especially car crashes, semi-truck collisions, and motorcycle accidents. A mild TBI can cause concussion symptoms and temporarily alter your brain chemistry, and you may have the right to recover damages.
Concussion Symptoms
Concussions are sometimes erroneously categorized as “low-grade” or “mild” traumatic brain injuries. In general, concussions are caused by an impact to the head. Some people who are diagnosed with concussions report losing consciousness, but most do not.
Unlike other types of accident-related injuries, concussions do not always immediately trigger symptoms. If symptoms are evident, they can appear slowly, sometimes emerging hours or days after a collision. The most common of these symptoms include:
- Headache
- Ringing in the ears
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fatigue
- Blurry vision
In some cases, concussions can also prompt uncomfortable cognitive symptoms, like profound feelings of confusion, brain fog, and amnesia. They can also make performing simple tasks, from speaking to sleeping, much more difficult.
The Long-Term Impact of a Mild TBI
Although concussions are not usually life-threatening, concussion symptoms can still interfere with and impede accident victims’ quality of life. Some of the most common complications associated with concussions include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Post-traumatic headaches. Concussions sometimes cause post-traumatic headaches, a type of exceptionally intense and painful headache that can persist for several days or several weeks after an accident.
- Persistent post-concussive syndrome. Some people who sustain concussions experience multiple symptoms that last far longer than expected. These symptoms can range in severity from occasional, recurring headaches to difficulty thinking. If symptoms last for three or more months, they may be diagnosed as persistent post-concussive syndrome.
- Second impact syndrome. In very rare cases, experiencing a second concussion before symptoms of an earlier concussion have resolved could result in rapid brain swelling. This constitutes a medical emergency and can lead to death if left untreated.
Scientists and medical researchers are still trying to make sense of the many ways in which a concussion can alter the brain and impact the body. Recent evidence suggests that accident victims who have suffered concussions in the past—in prior collisions or even from playing high school sports—could face a higher risk for conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can trigger symptoms related to thinking and mood.
In other words, the effect of even a “mild” concussion can be further-reaching than initially expected, hurting accident victims and survivors in ways that aren’t always easy to anticipate.
Your Options for Compensation After Being Diagnosed with an Accident-Related Mild TBI
Concussions and other types of mild traumatic brain injuries can take a significant toll on accident victims’ ability to resume their ordinary routines. Even when symptoms do resolve without complication, the initial period of pain and confusion is often too difficult to work through without taking time away from a job, hobbies, friends, and family.
You don’t have to bear the burden of recovery alone.
Under Iowa and Nebraska law, accident victims who have sustained traumatic brain injuries could be entitled to compensation for their medical expenses and other losses. Your damages could include, but are not limited to, compensation for the following:
- Your existing medical bills
- Your anticipated care needs
- Physical rehabilitation
- Reimbursement for co-pays, deductibles, and incidental expenses
- Lost income from work
- Diminished earning potential
- Pain and suffering
While you may be able to recover damages, you must act fast to protect your right to a fair recovery. If you wait too long to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer, the statute of limitations could lapse—and once it does, your case, no matter how compelling it may be, will most likely be dismissed by the court.
