Many Florida residents know the seriousness of a traumatic brain injury. It commonly happens to people who suffer a severe blow to their head while playing contact sports. People can also suffer a traumatic brain injury if their head smashes into a windshield during a car wreck, from being impaled with a sharp object to the skull or if their neck is rigorously shaken, which can cause their brain to move inside their skull.
The severity of a traumatic brain injury ranges from mild to severe. Oftentimes, people do not know they have a TBI until several days later. In mild TBI cases, people often feel confused or dazed and may even black out for several seconds or experience a short lapse of consciousness.
Severe cases of TBI can be fatal, and those who survive are sometimes left in a vegetative state, in a coma or with minimal consciousness. If the head wound is open, it can lead to infection, and cerebrospinal fluid can accumulate around the patient’s brain, which can then lead to swelling of the brain.
According to the Mayo Clinic, mild cases of traumatic brain injury can cause a person to suffer loss of balance, headaches, drowsiness, sleeping difficulties, anxiety, behavior changes, mood swings, difficulty remembering and concentrating and dizziness. Moderate to severe cases of TBI can leave a person unconscious for a few hours, or cause severe and constant headaches, or numbness or tingling in the patient’s toes or fingers. Victims may also have slurred speech, seem agitated and confused, and lack coordination. Sometimes, the injury can also cause fluid to drain from a patient’s nose or ears.
Individuals who suffer a brain injury because of the negligent actions of another party may want to have legal assistance in seeking compensation for their losses. Damages often sought in a personal injury lawsuit include medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages.
Source: CNN, “What is a traumatic brain injury?”, Debra Goldschmidt, Sept. 23, 2016