A traumatic brain injury can have a devastating impact on your life, affecting all aspects of your ability to function. For this reason, it’s crucial that you identify the injury as soon as possible. Prompt treatment can often help minimize the severity of the brain injury and increase your chances of a full recovery.
One of the challenges associated with treating a traumatic brain injury is that no two injuries are alike. They all result in a unique set of symptoms and long-term issues based on the severity and location of the head injury. Therefore, it’s important to understand that these long-term impacts are merely potential outcomes. The specific long-term repercussions of your brain injury will depend on:
- The severity and location of your brain injury
- Your body’s ability to heal
- How quickly you receive treatment after the injury
- The quality of your medical treatment
- The types of functions affected by your brain injury
- Whether you have suffered other head injuries in the past
Potential Cognitive Impacts Associated with a Brain Injury
If you’ve suffered a moderate to severe brain injury, you may experience cognitive issues that can impact your ability to process information. Some of these potential issues may include:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty maintaining focus for a prolonged period of time
- Short-term and long-term memory problems
- An impaired ability to learn and remember new information
It is common for individuals with a brain injury to speak, think and solve problems at a slower rate after their injury. In addition, many brain injury victims have difficulty grasping abstract concepts and struggle to apply prior knowledge in new settings. These challenges can often cause people to feel frustrated or confused.
Potential Behavioral Impacts of a Brain Injury
If the areas of the brain responsible for social-emotional processing are impacted by your head injury, it can cause you to experience changes in your personality. Depending on the specifics of your injury, this may include:
- Mood swings
- Increased aggression
- Depression
- Decreased motivation
- Inability to act or speak tactfully
- Reduced inhibitions
- Challenges adjusting your behavior in order to adapt to a specific situation
Many of these social-emotional issues impact more than just the brain injury victim. They can also place considerable stress on loved ones and close friends.
Potential Sensory Impacts Associated with a Brain Injury
Often, a brain injury can affect your senses. You may potentially experience:
- Reduction in the size of your visual field
- Difficulty tracking visual material
- Limited depth perception
- Blurry vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Changes to your senses of hearing, smell or taste
- Photophobia
- Vertigo
- Problems perceiving interpersonal bodily space
- Poor balance
Potential Health Issues Associated with a Brain Injury
In severe cases, a traumatic brain injury can lead to a variety of serious health issues, including:
- Paralysis
- Seizures
- Impaired function of bodily systems
- Loss of bladder and bowel function
Shaw Cowart Can Help
If your brain injury was caused by the negligent actions of another, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your damages. Due to the serious issues associated with a head injury, it’s crucial that you work with an experienced attorney who can assess the true impact your injury will have on your life moving forward. Often, brain injury victims require costly medical treatments and rehabilitation. In severe cases, these injuries may result in the need for ongoing care for the rest of your life. If your injury has impacted your ability to work, these long-term financial repercussions must be accounted for as part of your damages.
At Shaw Cowart, we’ve seen firsthand the devastation caused by a traumatic brain injury. We’ve handled many brain injury cases, and we understand the complex medical issues involved in these claims. We will evaluate all aspects of your long-term prognosis in order to ensure your damages reflect the true impact the injury will have on your life.
Contact our Austin Brain Injury Lawyers
Please contact Shaw Cowart LLP using the form on this page or call 512-499-8900 today to schedule your complimentary consultation. We serve clients in the Austin, Texas area.