After sustaining trauma to their head, brain injury victims may experience a wide range of different consequences.

After involvement in a motor vehicle collision or another type of accident, many victims in Illinois sustain a brain injury. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.7 million people in the U.S. incur a traumatic brain injury annually. Of these people, 52,000 die and 275,000 have to spend time in the hospital.

The four categories of effects

After sustaining a TBI, brain injury victims who survive may experience immense pain and suffering as well as a variety of other effects. According to WebMD, these consequences can be divided into four specific categories, which include:

• Perceptual – brain injury victims may find that their vision, sense of touch or hearing is altered after the accident. Those who incur a TBI may also have balance issues, become spatially disoriented and experience disorders of taste and smell.
• Physical – some of the physical effects of brain damage include paralysis, tremors, seizures, sleep disorders, slurred speech and extreme mental or physical fatigue. Sensitivity to light, persistent headaches and loss of consciousness are also some of the potential physical consequences associated with brain injuries.
• Cognitive – after sustaining trauma to their head, TBI victims may have a hard time processing information and expressing their thoughts. Additionally, they may have a shortened attention span and experience memory loss.
• Emotional or behavioral – those with a TBI may become unusually irritable and impatient and may become unable to tolerate stress effectively. They may also become abnormally aggressive and deny their disability.

The consequences one brain injury victim experiences after an accident will be extremely different than another person with a similar injury. This is because, according to the Brain Injury Association of America, these effects often depend on the cause, location and severity of the trauma.

Recovering from a brain injury

In the aftermath of the accident, there are several things TBI victims can do to help themselves recover from the consequences they experience. For example, the BIAA states that those who incur a brain injury should get plenty of rest and avoid rushing back to normal work or school-related activities. Those recovering from a TBI should also avoid doing anything that could result in additional trauma to their head and write things down that they have a hard time remembering.

To recover from the effects of their injury, TBI victims in Illinois may need to receive extensive rehabilitative and medical care. If you incurred a brain injury because of another person’s negligence, speak with an attorney in your area to determine what compensation may be available to you.

Keywords: TBI, brain injury, accident