Deerfield Beach Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
Traumatic brain injuries are serious, life-altering, and potentially life-threatening brain injuries that result from trauma to the head. TBIs commonly stem from car and trucking accidents, slip and fall accidents, sporting accidents, and construction accidents. Sometimes, the resulting TBI is immediate and easy to identify, while other times, it takes months or even years to manifest. Whatever the case, a traumatic brain injury can drastically hinder one’s ability to function normally and therefore, negatively impact one’s quality of life. If you or a loved one sustained a TBI in an accident that was the result of another person’s negligence, contact the Deerfield Beach traumatic brain injury lawyers at Leifer & Ramirez today.
Types of Brain Injuries
Brain injuries are categorized in one of five ways, and each type of injury can have differing effects on the injured party. Some of the five types of injuries result in short term symptoms while others cause life-long changes, disability, or death. That said, TBIs are generally categorized as follows:
- Traumatic brain injury;
- Stroke injury;
- Anoxic brain injury;
- Brain infection; or
- Brain injuries in infants.
The Symptoms of a TBI
If not immediately fatal, the symptoms of a TBI can hinder one’s physical, cognitive, and emotional abilities. If left untreated, these symptoms can intensify over time. Common symptoms of brain trauma include but are not limited to the following:
- Disorientation or confusion;
- Loss of consciousness;
- Amnesia;
- Short term memory loss;
- Dizziness;
- Blurred vision;
- Loss of vision;
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears);
- Neurological or neuropsychological problems;
- Headaches;
- Agitation;
- Mood swings;
- Aggression;
- Irritability;
- Depression;
- Sleeping issues;
- Changes in appetite;
- Personality changes in general.
It is important to note that no matter how a TBI is categorized, no two injured parties respond in the same way. Because the brain is such a unique organism, sets of symptoms are never the same for any two individuals. This is precisely what makes brain injuries so difficult to understand, and therefore, precisely what makes them so difficult to treat.
The True Cost of a TBI
The estimated lifetime cost for a single survivor of a TBI is approximately $4 million. Survivors who wish to undergo acute rehabilitation can expect to pay approximately $1,000 a day for rehabilitation services for an average of 55 days. Those who wish to return to work within the first year of the incident are looking at approximately $10,198 for the first year of supported employment services. Monetarily speaking, the costs are certainly high. However, money is not the only thing about which survivors have to be concerned.
Because of the personality changing effects of a TBI, it is not uncommon for brain injury survivors to lose friends, push away family members, and lose the support of other loved ones because of their erratic and unfamiliar behavior. It is also not uncommon for survivors to discover that they can no longer partake in their favorite activities or enjoy the things that once made them happy. These losses are just as great, if not greater, than the financial losses. Yet, these losses are often discounted or pushed aside, and the victim is never really compensated for them.
Leifer & Ramirez Can Help
If you or a loved one sustained a TBI in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated for the full extent of your damages, and not just the monetary ones. Contact Leifer & Ramirez today to discuss your legal options and to get on the path to financial and physical recovery.