Teens, Car Accidents, and Traumatic Brain Injuries: A Tough Road Ahead

 Posted on November 16, 2016 in Personal Injury

As children grow up, parents have a myriad of situations to worry about. But, if you have a trustworthy teen who knows to make good choices, the anxiety levels may ease slightly. Unfortunately, though, life is not always as simple as a smart choice. Fate has a way of presenting circumstances which cannot always be avoided and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur frequently in car accidents involving youth. In fact, young adults aged between 15 and 24 have the highest proportion of TBI-related hospitalizations due to motor vehicle-related events.

If your son or daughter has been involved in a car accident and suffered a serious brain injury you should consider your legal options. If the negligence on the part of someone else contributed to the accident, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. With the exorbitant costs of urgent medical care and long terms rehabilitation and physical therapy costs, a financial settlement can help ease the burden on families coping with their new normal. A personal injury attorney with catastrophic injury experience is the sensible place to start.

Closed Head Injury

A traumatic brain injury refers to damage to the brain caused by an external physical force like a bump, blow or jolt to the head or, a penetrating head injury ( i.e. a gunshot wound to the head, or a fall) that disrupts the normal function of the brain.

A TBI is not caused by something internal such as a stroke or tumor. Interestingly, it is actually possible to have a TBI and never lose consciousness. The severe jolting of a head in a car accident causes the brain to unnaturally move around in the skull cavity damaging tissue, nerves, and blood vessels. This constitutes a “closed head injury”

An Altered Lifestyle

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the potential harm a victim may endure as the result of a TBI may include:

• Coma;
• Amnesia; and
• Compromised cognitive, motor, sensation, and emotional skills.

All these can have an effect on relationships with family and friends, educational endeavors, future employment prospects, daily household activities, the ability to drive again and a teen’s overall quality of life.

A TBI is often a long-term or even permanent injury that may require rehabilitative care over the course of many years. The financial costs of sustaining a victim especially a young teen, throughout their life can be burdensome. Retaining the services of a personal injury attorney will allow you the time to focus on your child while we investigate the circumstances of the crash, gather evidence and analyze insurance benefits.

So, while parents and communities do their best to try and educate to prevent the incidence of serious injuries to teens in cars, if your child has been identified as having a TBI, there may be legal recourse available. The experienced DuPage County personal injury attorneys at Martoccio & Martoccio will meet with you for free to discuss your circumstances. We will be the advocates you need to fight to win compensation for your child.

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/severe.html

http://www.msktc.org/tbi/factsheets/Understanding-TBI/What-Happens-During-Injury-And-In-Early-Stages-Of-Recovery

http://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/data/dist_hosp.html