When doctors, lawyers, insurance companies and judges talk about “traumatic brain injuries,” they’re not discussing a bump on the head. A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is an injury so severe that it has lasting repercussions on your life. Banging your head on the car when you get out certainly hurts, but it’s unlikely that you’ll end up with a TBI because of it. On the other hand, slamming your head into the dashboard in a car crash, or knocking your head against a curb when you fall on an icy sidewalk – those are the types of injuries that could affect you for a long time.

Common symptoms of a TBI

A traumatic brain injury presents with far more than pain, though that may be your first clue that something isn’t right. A TBI can lead to:

  • Losing consciousness for a short or extended amount of time
  • Feeling “fuzzy-headed” or confused
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Problems with your sleep patterns – either making you sleep too much or too little
  • Loss of vision, temporarily or permanently
  • Changes in your mood or personality
  • Suicidal feelings
  • Sensory symptoms, like losing your sense of taste or smell, or hearing a ringing in your ears
  • Numbness in your fingers or toes
  • Slurred speech, almost as if you’d had a stroke
  • Loss of coordination
  • Coma
  • Death

Children may exhibit any of those symptoms or more, including decreased attention span or loss of interest in favorite toys – the same type of symptoms that are associated with boredom or ADHD.

Can a doctor treat a TBI?

Yes and no: it depends on what kind of brain damage you suffer. For example, a person who is hit in the head with a baseball may develop a blood clot, which a surgeon may or may not be able to remove. On the other hand, a different person hit with a baseball may develop a seizure disorder, which can be controlled with medication but not cured. Because we still don’t know as much about the brain as we do about other parts of our bodies, there’s no 100% guarantee that a TBI can be treated because every person’s brain is different. That same baseball might give you as concussion but cause the person next to you to lose the ability to speak: it all depends on the person. That’s why any case involving a TBI needs the help of a lawyer; we know just how bad it could eventually get.

If you or your loved one sustained brain damage of any kind because of an accident, contact us. We may be able to help you.