A traumatic brain injury (TBI) has the potential to completely change the course of someone’s life. Some people hurt their brains because they fall. Others get injured by product malfunctions or car crashes.
Regardless of the underlying cause of the injury, the consequences may ultimately prove permanent. Moderate to severe brain injuries cause structural changes to the brain that can have long-term implications for the injured person and their closest loved ones.
People frequently underestimate the long-term consequences of TBIs and may fail to seek adequate compensation as a result. When people with TBIs and those close to injured people learn about the long-term consequences of these injuries, they may make better choices about how to address them.
Medical costs can add up to millions
There is no cure for a TBI that causes structural changes to the brain. Instead, the injured person often needs therapeutic assistance to learn to function despite their symptoms. They may also have increased lifetime medical expenses because of how the brain injury manifests.
The age of the injured person, the symptoms they present and a host of other factors determine the long-term medical expenses that they may face. Researchers estimate that moderate to severe TBIs can cause expenses ranging from $85,000 to more than $3 million.
Continuing to work can be difficult
Regardless of what type of career an individual has pursued, a TBI can force them to leave their job. TBIs can change people’s personalities or affect their cognitive abilities. They can also impact motor function.
Professionals in skilled blue-collar trades or white-collar careers may have to leave their jobs. Those with severe TBIs may not be able to work any job whatsoever. People have to consider the impact of a lifetime of reduced earning potential or a permanent inability to work.
The injured person may also struggle to continue contributing to their family in the same way that they did previously. In fact, they may rely on family members for regular medical support. Everyone in the family likely has to prepare for significant changes when someone sustains a TBI.
Families that have help estimating costs may have an easier time seeking compensation. Both insurance claims and lawsuits can help families recoup the expenses generated by brain injuries.