The Truth About Traumatic Brain Injury Settlements
Suffering from a brain injury is devastating, and you can feel like your life has come crashing down around you. That’s why brain injury settlements can help you.
You might feel lost, alone, and emotional. The last thing you want to worry about is dealing with lawyers, judges, and defence attorneys. But it can make a huge difference in your recovery.
A settlement can’t change what happened, but compensation can help you get back on your feet. It can help you feel more comfortable and get you to the state you need to be to ensure you’re on the road to recovery.
It’s important to know what your options are before you get stuck in an unfortunate and tragic situation. Being prepared is one of the only steps you can really take as your first line of defense against injury.
Brain injury settlements are complicated, and that’s why we want to make sure you know your options and rights.
Types of Brain Injuries
Brain injury is a pretty broad term that encompasses many different situations that could happen when you hurt your head.
There are two main types of brain injuries: mild and severe traumatic brain injury.
Mild traumatic brain injury happens when you lose consciousness for under 30 minutes. Usually, there are no long-term effects and you recover back to your regular self.
Whiplash and concussion are usually two common types of mild traumatic brain injury that happen after car accidents, especially from rear-end collisions. When your head gets jerked around from the collision, your brain can jerk forward and backward too quickly, causing damage.
Severe traumatic brain injury happens when you lose consciousness for 6 hours or longer. It could have serious long-term consequences, and could even land the victim in a comatose or vegetative state.
This type of brain injury lasts much longer than a concussion or whiplash, and you could end up suffering for the next few years, or the rest of your life.
That’s why you need to make sure you always get your head injuries checked as soon as they happen, even if you don’t think it’s that big of a deal at the time.
How do I Know if I Have a Concussion?
It’s sometimes hard to detect a concussion or other serious brain injury.
Right now, researchers are working on the final developments for a blood test that can detect a concussion with 90% accuracy. However, until that’s ready, doctors will do some imaging tests and scans, and you can look for certain signs and symptoms.
The main issue with brain injury is that it can have permanent, destructive consequences and possibly lead to brain damage.
Injury and brain damage symptoms can include the following things:
- Loss of consciousness
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Either too little or too much time sleeping
- Changes in the ability to smell
- Altered behaviour
- Irritability
- Confusion
- Numbness in the fingers or toes
If you’re experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms after a car accident, you need to see your doctor as soon as possible. They can diagnose you and get you on the path to recovery.
You could also be at risk for post-concussion syndrome, a condition in which your concussion symptoms continue for an extended period of time. This could be anywhere from a few months to a few years, and it can cause serious pain in addition to delaying your recovery.
Treatment for a Concussion, Whiplash, and Brain Injury
Your recovery from a brain injury is extremely important because everything you do relies on your cognitive function. Make sure you do everything you can to meet your recovery and treatment needs as your main priority.
There are some options you can take when it comes to your treatment. Your doctor might suggest counseling or rehabilitation, and from there you’ll be shown different paths to take.
In Ontario, there are many resources to help you if you suffer a brain injury. The March of Dimes provides services and support, as well as the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation and other groups dedicated to helping you through this time.
Your next step is to get justice for the injuries you’ve suffered.
Brain Injury Compensation
When you suffer a brain injury, you suffer as much emotional pain as you do physical pain. You might feel alone, depressed, or stressed.
Under Canadian Law, you can take legal action if someone’s actions have caused you to suffer a brain injury.
You will also be able to apply for long-term disability benefits that can help you get your life back on track if you can’t return to work.
In Ontario, you have two years under the statute of limitations to file your claim. If you don’t set everything in motion within that time frame from the date of the accident, you’ll risk your case being thrown out of court.
To win your case and get compensation, you have to ensure that the accused party is held liable for your injury. That means it’s up to you to make sure you have enough evidence to prove your case.
This includes collecting medical records, photographs, documents, and other items that show what you’ve gone through.
Contact Conte & Associates for Help With Your Brain Injury Settlement
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how important your brain is to the rest of your body. No one should be able to leave you high and dry while you’re left to suffer.
Our team at Conte & Associates know what you’re going through. We’ll help you with patience and empathy. We’ll provide you with as much information as possible to make you feel more comfortable.
Trust an aggressive, experienced personal injury lawyer in Toronto who is going to fight for you. We won’t stop until we get you what you need to get through this terrible time in your life.
Contact our offices in Whitby and Vaughan to set up your free, no-obligation consultation with one of our personal injury lawyers to get started on your clear future.
