Busting Myths About Traumatic Brain Injuries
Brain injuries, especially of the traumatic variety, are quite common in the United States, most often among young adults, but they are suffered across every demographic. Yet despite how common they are, there are a number of persistent myths that are repeated as gospel when they are simply inaccurate. If you or a loved one ever sustains a traumatic brain injury (TBI), it does not have to put a halt to your life plans, nor is it impossible to be compensated for your injuries. It is important to understand what is truth and what is myth, especially if you were injured due to someone else’s negligence.
Myth: It is not possible to have sustained a TBI if you never lose consciousness. False. TBIs present very differently depending on the source of the injury, and it is generally deemed plausible by both the mental health and physical health communities that one can sustain a TBI without losing consciousness, or only losing consciousness for a brief second. Medical experts may be prone to state otherwise, but it is perfectly plausible to not lose consciousness and still have a TBI depending on the location of the blow.
Myth: A person with a TBI will always begin appearing ill or injured immediately. False. Both adrenaline and again, the location of the injury may make a difference as to whether the person immediately seems to have sustained an injury. This myth is a commonly utilized one by insurers and their experts, arguing that a truly serious injury would have made itself known immediately. This is simply not the case in every incident, especially with closed head injuries. Subdural hematoma is one of the most serious TBIs one can suffer and it may not become apparent until hours after the trauma.
Myth: A person with a TBI cannot work at any job without expensive accommodations. False. Someone with a TBI may require accommodations, but under the Americans With Disabilities Act, they are allowed to ask for reasonable accommodations, which means that anything that causes an employer an undue hardship (too expensive, too costly, or otherwise interfering with the normal operation of the business) is within that employer’s rights to deny. People with TBIs are capable of working at the right job.
Myth: The recovery period for any TBI is approximately 2 years, after which no more improvement will be seen. False. Every TBI is different, and while most of the recovery process does occur within the 2 years after the injury, it is erroneous to state baldly that no more recovery is possible after that mark. However, insurers’ experts are fond of this myth, because it allows them to make a case that maximum medical improvement has been reached.
Contact An Experienced Winter Park TBI Attorney
While a traumatic brain injury can be life-changing, it does not have to be life-ending. If you were harmed due to someone else’s negligence, you have a right to try and receive compensation for your injury, and having a knowledgeable attorney on your side can be a big push in the right direction. The Winter Park brain injury attorneys at the Hornsby Law Group are happy to try and assist you. Contact our office today to set up an initial appointment.
Resources:
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/traumatic-brain-injury/basics/symptoms/CON-20029302
eeoc.gov/policy/docs/accommodation.html
