When a person is involved in an accident, such as one in a motor vehicle, there is always the chance he or she will suffer a traumatic brain injury. If this happens, the recovery process can be long and challenging.
No two traumatic brain injuries are the same. However, the effects of such an injury can be similar from one case to the next. Any type of accident can result in a traumatic brain injury, which can then impact a person in a variety of ways, both in the short and long term.
A traumatic brain injury can lead to many types of problems, all of which are broken down into the following categories:
— Physical
— Cognitive
— Emotional and behavioral
Shortly following a traumatic brain injury, it is impossible to determine exactly what types of issues a person is going to face in the future. While most problems usually get better as time goes by and a person recovers, full recovery can take many weeks or longer, and in some cases, residual problems can be permanent. In the case of a severe brain injury, it may take years for a person to make progress.
The type of issues a person has after a traumatic brain injury will be based largely on the part of the brain that is injured. For example, a brain stem injury can impact the following:
— Heart rate
— Breathing
— Ability to sleep
— Sense of balance
— Reflexes for hearing and seeing
Once a traumatic brain injury victim receives the appropriate medical care, they may wish to learn more about their legal rights regarding the accident that caused their injury.
Source: The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center, “Understanding TBI: Part 2 – Brain injury impact on individuals functioning” Oct. 02, 2014