Signs that Your Loved One May Have Suffered a Brain Injury

Brain injuries may not always be immediately apparent. While brain injuries can range from mild to traumatic, they are always serious and can worsen without treatment. Due to the nature of certain brain injury symptoms, it is not uncommon for family and friends of the injured person to suspect something is awry before even the injury victim realizes.

In fact, brain injuries often go unidentified even in emergency rooms; with so many patients in need of emergency care, if a patient is not bleeding from the head the neurological injury may go undetected until the symptoms worsen. If you suspect your loved one suffered a brain injury as the result of someone else’s negligence, it’s important to contact a brain injury attorney as soon as possible to discuss your options for recovery.

Signs of a brain injury for loved ones to watch out for include but are not necessarily limited to the following:

• Mood swings
• Becoming angry, irritable, or combative without apparent cause
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty remembering things
• Confusion
• Difficulty sleeping
• Difficulty waking up
• Changes in personality
• Slurred speech
• Lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Persistent headaches
• Depression and anxiety
• Decreased coordination
• Unusually drowsy
• All-around unusual behavior
• Seizures or convulsions

The effects of a brain injury may be temporary, long-lasting, or permanent.

Every brain injury is different, but each one deserves to be taken seriously. Even concussions can cause serious damage to a person’s health and neurological condition. Multiple concussions are particularly dangerous, putting sports players and those who engage regularly in physically demanding activities particularly at risk. While not every brain injury is necessarily a traumatic brain injury (TBI), any brain injury has the potential to become traumatic if left untreated. The good news is that with proper medical attention and patience on the part of the injured person’s family, recovery and a return to some normalcy are often achievable. However, brain injuries can go on to affect the injured person and their loved ones in unexpected ways, emotionally and financially, so it’s important to explore your options for future support and compensation.

Brain injury attorneys can help you identify a possible brain injury in your loved one.

Brain injury attorneys understand the unique nature of these injury cases and are accustomed to working together with the injury victim’s family to identify, treat, and recover from a potential TBI. In fact, some brain injury attorneys offer questionnaires for families to fill out in assessing whether or not their loved one’s recent physical or behavioral changes might be related to a brain injury. The attorneys who handle these cases understand the stress and concern that can weigh on family members in these uncertain times, and generally offer free consultations. These attorneys may also have access to resources for support you and your family can utilize to adjust to your loved one’s current and future needs.

Brain injury attorneys also tend to work on a contingency fee basis, which means clients do not pay for their legal services unless they win their case. This allows the injured party and their family to focus on treatment and healing rather than worrying about another bill to add to the pile. Damages that may be included in a successful brain injury claim include the cost of medical bills, lost wages, life care expenses, and more. In the event that a brain injury prevents someone from engaging with their loved ones like they did before, additional damages may be included to help compensate for that relational loss.

If you suspect your loved one may have suffered a brain injury, or for help filing a claim, reach out to a brain injury attorney as soon as possible.