If you or a loved one has been seriously hurt in an
accident, you need an attorney who has experience dealing with a serious brain
injury. Your attorney can concentrate on gathering information, interviewing
witnesses, talking to insurance companies, dealing with your employer, and
other aspects of your claim while you concentrate on your recovery and
rehabilitation.
About Brain Injuries
A serious brain injury can have a life-long impact on your
quality of life. According to numbers released by the Association for the
Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured (ARBI), over
56,000
Canadians suffered a brain injury in 2011. Of those injuries, 20% were
fatal. Another 9,000 people needed long-term rehabilitation and 6,000 people
had to learn how to live with permanent disabilities.
A serious brain injury can have a temporary or permanent
effect on how your brain functions. ARBI groups brain disabilities into four
separate categories, although it’s possible to have symptoms in more than one
category. The categories are cognitive disabilities (thinking, reasoning, or
memory-related disabilities); sensory disabilities; communication disabilities
(expressing or understanding); and behavioural or mental health disabilities (depression,
personality changes, unable to concentrate for long periods, or engaging in
uncharacteristic socially inappropriate behaviour or emotional outbursts).
A serious brain injury needs time to heal, since the brain
is a complex organ and heals slowly. Since symptoms can include severe
personality changes or unpredictable mood swings, it can be hard for family
members and friends to deal with the recovery. Temporary or permanent physical
disabilities can also be hard to deal with, especially if there is a barrier to
coming home, such as being unable to walk and returning to a three-storey home.
If you didn’t visit your doctor after an accident and are
experiencing the symptoms of a serious brain injury, go immediately to the
closest emergency room. Symptoms that should concern you are blurry vision,
seeing double or seeing floating spots, dizziness, nausea, feeling weak or
fatigued, insomnia, being unable to concentrate, an inability to perform
unfamiliar tasks or retain new information, sudden personality changes, or
out-of-character mood swings or emotional outbursts.
Why You Need a
Serious Brain Injury Attorney
Recovering from a serious head injury is stressful enough—never
mind your concerns about loss of income and out-of-pocket medical expenses.
When you contact an experienced serious brain injury attorney, your lawyer can
take care of the accident-related details, like gathering information, filling
out legal paperwork and filing it on time, dealing with your employer, and
starting to assess future needs.
When you’ve suffered a serious brain injury, it can take a
serious financial toll on your family. There is the immediate loss of income
for you and any family member who is helping to care for you after the
accident. There are also medical bills for medication, rehabilitation, and
other related medical costs.
A serious brain injury will likely need long-term
rehabilitation. You may also need housekeeping help, childcare, home-care
costs, money for additional treatment, and possibly even home renovations to
make living with a permanent disability easier.
An experienced serious brain injury attorney can give you
peace of mind by taking care of the present and future details so you can
concentrate on your recovery.