Personal Injury Accidents & Brain Injuries
Brain injuries can have far-reaching and lifelong consequences for the victim and their family. The physical, cognitive-communicative, and emotional impact of brain injuries can severely limit your earning potential. These injuries can also significantly lower the quality of life. Falls, sports injuries, and automobile crashes are a few common causes for traumatic brain injuries (TBI). These injuries range from permanent brain damage to minor concussions.
Traumatic Brain Injury Types
TBIs can be both open and closed injuries, depending on the manner in which the injuries occurred. Open TBIs or open head injuries (OHIs) can be seen by the naked eye. These occur when the head directly hits another object because of an attack, blunt force trauma, or a fall. Open TBI can leave pieces of debris, bone and shrapnel embedded in the brain.
Closed head injuries (CHIs) or closed TBIs are more serious in nature. They occur even when protected by a helmet or an airbag. Most impact is absorbed by the brain since the skull is not fractured. Closed TBI victims are likely to experience bleeding or swelling in the brain causing coma, blood clots, and death.
Doctors can evaluate a TBI after classifying it as open or closed. This depends on the severity of symptoms and damage. TBIs are classified as mild, moderate, or severe.
Cost of Traumatic Brain Injury in North Carolina
Recovering from traumatic brain injuries can be expensive in terms of emotional or intangible losses, apart from actual economic losses. You may be burdened with thousands of dollars’ worth of medical bills and long-term rehab costs. You may experience significant loss of enjoyment, go through prolonged pain and suffering, and may even lose your ability to return to work. These are a few common costs following a North Carolina traumatic brain injury:
Hospital stays
Hospital stays are expensive. Average cost for just three days in the hospital can be as much as $30,000. You may need to stay in the hospital for weeks following a traumatic brain injury.
Medical treatment, surgery, and medications
You would also need to pay for medications and surgery expenses. This can be in the thousands. In some cases, brain injuries cost as high as $100,000.
Future rehabilitation
Upfront medical expenses and future treatments can be expensive. You would need ongoing therapy and treatment if you recently suffered from a TBI. You may require home health care aid too.
Lost benefits and wages
Workers can suffer economic losses beyond medical care. You may not be able to continue with work or lose out on benefits and wages. Brain injuries can hamper a person’s ability to work. Employees, in some cases, may never be able to return to work. This is hundreds of thousands of dollars lost.
Non-economic losses
You may suffer from intangible harm and losses following a traumatic brain injury. Mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, suffering, and physical pain and suffering fall under the purview of noneconomic losses.
Work With a Skilled NC TBI Lawyer
The competent legal team at Tatum & Atkinson, PLLC understand the pain and mental anguish you are going through following a TBI. We have helped dozens of TBI victims recover compensation for injuries, lost income, loss of earning potential, and loss of consortium among other things. Give us a call today at 800-529-0804 or use our online form to schedule a free appointment.
