Cognitive Issues for Brain Injuries
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a person’s cognitive abilities include: thinking, memory and reasoning; sensory processing as sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell; and communication skills as expression and understanding. When people suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), they may experience mild to severe cognitive impairment.
Any cognitive problems can make it difficult or impossible to hold a job that pays a living wage. If your loved one suffered a TBI and is having cognitive symptoms, you may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost income and other expenses. Please call our brain injury team, or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation with a San Francisco, San Mateo, San Jose or Oakland brain injury lawyer.
Cognitive Impairments After TBI
TBI victims may experience a range of cognitive impairments such as:
- Memory loss
- Confusion
- Poor attention or concentration
- Impaired judgment and self-awareness
- Getting lost
- Slowness in thinking
- Difficulty speaking (aphasia)
- Difficulty reading (alexia) or writing (agraphia)
A TBI can also cause cognitive problems that impair a person’s ability to reason, perceive, remember or understand risk. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that if they have these types of impairments, TBI victims may engage in dangerous behavior involving alcohol/drug use or sexual practices.
TBI victims often need compensation for specialized cognitive rehabilitative therapy, mental health care, living expenses and lost income because of their cognitive, emotional and behavioral difficulties. We work hard to recover the damages clients need to move on with their lives after a brain injury.
How Do I Know if I Have a Brain Injury?
Traumatic brain injuries may be difficult to detect – both for medical professionals and the victims themselves. Even a slight knock on the head may cause a Traumatic Brain Injury, and medical experts today are taking even mild concussions much more seriously. New evidence shows that repeated impacts to the head can result in numerous negative side-effects.
For example, soccer players who repeatedly head the ball (particularly at a young age) run the risk of numerous brain-related issues later in life.
This is something you definitely need to keep in mind – especially if you are filing a lawsuit. You may walk away from a car accident with just a few scrapes and bruises, and you may believe that you hardly require any medical treatment. However, even if you have suffered a light impact to the head during your crash, you should get checked by a qualified medical professional, such as a neurologist. It is easy to underestimate the severity of these injuries, especially when your adrenaline levels numb pain and other symptoms after a crash. In addition, head injuries can cause memory loss, which means you might not even be aware that you have suffered a head injury until you receive treatment.
Aside from car accidents, head injuries may be caused by a range of other accidents. One clear example is a slip and fall. If you are walking in a grocery store or a restaurant and you slip on a wet surface, you can easily fall backwards and hit the back of your head on the floor.
You can also suffer a brain injury due to an assault. For example, you might have gone to a late-night fast-food restaurant before being assaulted by criminals. In all of the above situations, you may have the ability to sue property owners and negligent parties for the brain injuries you have sustained.
How Do I Prove My Cognitive Issues are Legitimate?
Brain injuries can be difficult to prove due to the “invisible” nature of these ailments. Certain cognitive issues may not be obvious to insurance providers, lawyers, and judges. For example, a traumatic brain injury can cause severe personality changes, even altering your sexuality and your inhibitions. But people who did not know your personality before the accident might not realize that a major change has occurred.
In order to prove the legitimacy and severity of these issues, you need to get help from a number of professionals. First of all, you need to get in touch with a qualified, experienced personal injury attorney in the San Francisco area. These legal professionals can help you collect, compile, and present the necessary evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that these issues are legitimate.
You might also need to connect with a trained psychologist or mental health professional who can accurately assess your condition. After examining you, these expert witnesses can present their findings to the court or to insurance adjusters, showing just how serious your problems have become. They can also write statements that can be used as evidence in a trial or a negotiation with an insurance provider.
How Much Compensation Will I Receive for Cognitive Issues Caused by a TBI?
Compensation for cognitive issues caused by a brain injury may be significant. First of all, you will be compensated for your economic damages. These are things like medical expenses and missed wages. The truth is that a brain injury may never truly heal, which means that you might need to see a psychologist or mental health professional for the rest of your life. These appointments can be costly, and you deserve to be compensated for these future costs. In addition, it is worth mentioning that TBIs have a tendency to become worse as you age, so your settlement amount should take this factor into account.
You can also receive compensation for future and past missed wages. Cognitive issues may prevent you from doing your job, especially if your work is mentally demanding. For example, you may write online content, or you might be a computer programmer. These occupations are almost impossible if you are suffering from serious cognitive decline, so you are likely to receive compensation for the resulting lost wages.
You may also receive compensation for non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, depression, anxiety and many other psychological issues that are commonly related to brain injuries. In truth, these are often the most detrimental aspects of brain injuries, so you fully deserve to be compensated for these issues.
Cognitive Symptoms of Brain Injuries
To schedule a free initial consultation, please call an attorney for assistance with pursuing a San Francisco claim for compensation from the cognitive symptoms of brain injury.
