What’s The Deal With Brain Injury Compensation?
When you think of an injury from a car accident or other accident you may think of broken bones, bruises, cuts and abrasions and other physical injuries that you can easily see.
However, a brain injury is something that cannot be seen, it is still an injury that needs to be treated with intense care and can be widely dangerous. The brain is one of the most important organs in our body as it directs the body what to do, how to work and the like.
When the brain becomes injured, there are several issues that a person may have to deal with from short and long periods of time, depending upon the severity of the brain injury.
Signs of a Brain Injury
For those who suffer a brain injury, there are several signs that point to this injury being present. One of the biggest sign is that a person may not act as they once did.
This change in personality or behaviour is often the first thing that people notice and often question when they realize that a person has been involved in an accident.
Other signs of a brain injury include:
– Headaches
– Inability to pay attention
– Suffering with seizures
– Loss of appetite
– Nausea
– Mood changes
– Inability to sleep
– Memory loss
– Trouble with communicating
These are just some of the more common signs, as there are others that a person may have that a doctor could pinpoint as being the result of a brain injury.
In severe cases, a brain injury can result in death when it is not treated or if the damage is too severe.
In other cases, brain injuries can result in being unable to move limbs, resulting in a victim having to be in a wheelchair and rely upon others for their care.
Treating a Brain Injury
When a brain injury does occur, often the issues that arise from this injury are permanent or they are considered to last longer than a few weeks.
This is why treatment as soon as the brain injury happens is a must for those who suffer from this injury as it can help the person to get back to their regular life sooner than what they thought.
Here are a few of the treatment options that have been used in the past for those who suffer from a brain injury:
- Going to counseling can help with the mood swings and other issues that have arisen from this injury. The chemical changes that happen in the brain when an injury occurs are often permanent. Thus, it is important to help a person to get back to feeling normal.
- Rehabilitation is often for those who have suffered the brain injury in a way that their body is not responding as it should. This may mean months of rehabilitation teaching the brain how to walk, talk and even hold a pencil again.
- Medications can be used to help with the pain a person may have, as well as the mood swings that they may suffer with. Medications are often used in conjunction with other treatment options.
It should also be stated that those who suffer from a brain injury should still try to be as social as possible. This socialization can help to avoid those feelings of depression and isolation that often happens when a person suffers from a brain injury.
Expenses and Compensation Associated with a Brain Injury
When a person suffers from a brain injury, they may not be prepared financially to deal with the long term issues. It can be very cost draining and in many cases insurance is only going to pay so much.
Not only does a person have to worry about the cost of medical care, but they also have to think about rehabilitation care costs.
For those who have a permanent injury that has resulted in them being confined to a wheelchair, they also have to think about the modifications that they need to make to their home or even moving to a rental home that already has these modifications.
In addition, one has to factor in the travel cost of getting their care and even having to hire a special nurse to care for them at home if they are need of this.
While the person may be experiencing these types of expenses, chances are they are not having the same income coming in at all. While they may be in the running for some sort of short term disability insurance payout, in many cases, this payout is not enough to even start scratching the surface on the amount of debt that has accumulated.
When this is the case, it is time to turn to a personal injury lawyer in order to get you more compensation for the person who is responsible for this accident in the first case.
In Ontario, you are going to find that the statute of limitations for a brain injury claim to be filed is 2 years. However, that does not mean that you need to put this off.
We understand that you may have doctor appointments and other medical issues that you need to face, and you should be taking care of yourself first. However, you need to put it on your list to contact a lawyer to start the claim process.
The claim process consists of you claiming that your brain injury is the result of the accident and that a person or persons were to blame for this accident, thus they should be responsible for the injury that you are suffering with.
When you demand compensation this can be for the medical expenses that you have now, as well as those that you are likely to get in the future, the wages that you have lost due to this injury, even pain and suffering/emotional distress that you may suffer with due to this injury.
These are all aspects that a personal injury attorney can help to determine with you.
Getting Your Claim Ready
In order to get the compensation that you deserve, you need to make sure that you have evidence that supports your claim. This could include the medical bills, the paperwork from the police at the scene of the accident, pictures of the accident, medical records and the like.
It is important that you keep getting the medical care that you need to stay healthy while still suffering from this brain injury. If you were to stop getting care, this does mean that your claim could be denied!
The stronger your case, the better chances you will have at getting the compensation that you deserve.
For those who are suffering a brain injury, we understand that this can be a hard time in your life. However, we are here to help.
At Conte Jaswal we have worked with brain injury victims in the past and got them the compensation that they deserve for this injury. We can do the same for you!
Call us today to get the entire claim started so that you are not struggling to get the care that you need to get better and back to your normal life.
Contact us today for a FREE Consultation.
