What repercussions could your loved one face after a TBI?

When you received news that your loved one had been involved in a car accident, you may have immediately felt a pit form in your stomach. While you were thankful to learn that he or she survived, you still felt uncertainty when you found out that your loved one had suffered a serious injury to the head.

Unfortunately, car accidents can easily cause traumatic brain injuries, and your loved one could face temporary, long-term or even permanent effects of such an injury. As a family member, you may face struggles of your own as you work to ensure that your loved one receives the necessary care he or she needs and as you learn to handle the changes that the injury has caused.

What effects could your loved one experience?

The exact repercussions of a traumatic brain injury can depend on a number of factors. The injury could be relatively mild, such as a concussion, moderate or severe. Blunt force injury, crushing injuries and penetrating injuries could all take place as the result of a car crash, and all could lead to severe brain damage. Depending on the exact type of injury your loved one suffered, he or she could experience any of the following outcomes:

• Motor deficits like paralysis, vision problems, loss of fine motor skills, muscle stiffness, problems talking, difficulty swallowing, struggles with memory and more
• Physical repercussions like chronic pain, hormonal changes, appetite changes, sleep disorders, seizures and other serious outcomes
• Sensory issues like difficulty perceiving temperature, hardships understanding information through the senses, struggles distinguishing touch and pressure, and more
• Emotional and behavioral hardships like changing emotions, depression, lack of awareness, irritability, aggression, lack of motivation and dependency

You and your loved one may have a difficult time finding ways to cope with these outcomes, and it is possible for other issues to stem from the injury than those listed here.

What can you do?

While you certainly want to do your part to help your loved one recover as much as possible, you know that it will be difficult in physical, emotional and financial ways. It may be wise to consider gaining information about filing a personal injury claim against the driver considered at fault for the injury-causing car accident. A Delaware attorney could help you understand your options and the types of damages you could pursue through such a claim.