Brain injuries can range from minor annoyances to catastrophic injuries that significantly impact a person’s future. Even when the injury is minor, it’s still problematic because multiple injuries can lead to major issues.
Understanding some basic information about brain injuries might help victims and their family members to determine how to handle the situation. These can be traumatic injuries that cause troublesome behavior, such as mood swings and angry outbursts.
#1: Injuries don’t require a hit to the head
You don’t have to be hit on the head to have a brain injury. These injuries are sometimes due to the brain hitting the skull when there’s an impact, such as in a car crash. The damage to the brain might be on opposite sides of the brain, such as the front and back or the left and right, due to the brain slamming one way and then the other in the crash.
#2: Symptoms can take a while to show up
Symptoms of a brain injury might not show up right when the injury occurs. It can take weeks for them to be noticeable. This can lead to difficulties for the victim because they might not automatically connect the symptoms they’re experiencing with the event that led to the injury. In some cases, they might not even know they were injured.
#3: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a concern
Multiple brain injuries increase a person’s chance of contracting chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. This is a difficult condition because it causes extreme and uncharacteristic behaviors for the person. Suicidal thoughts that lead to attempts and violent outbursts are common. One issue with CTE is that it can’t be diagnosed while a person is living.
Anyone who suffered a brain injury in a crash or due to another person’s negligence may opt to pursue a compensation claim. California law has strict limits in place for these matters, so you should get your case filed as quickly as possible. It’s usually best to work with someone familiar with these matters so they can guide you through the process.
