Important Information For Cases Involving Mild Brain Injury

According to the CDC, American hospitals treat over one and a half million patients for brain injuries annually. The cause and extent of these common brain injuries, which range from catastrophic brain injury to mild brain injury, vary on a case-by-case basis. Slip and falls, car accidents, sports injuries, work-related injuries, and any other number of accidents and incidents can damage the human brain, which is relative susceptible to injury in any accident. Furthermore, immediately detecting brain injuries, especially mild brain injuries, is often an unreliable process. The following article outlines the most important information relevant to detecting mild brain injuries and pursuing legal claims.

The Nature of Mild Brain Injuries

Mild brain injuries, which is a term used to define a brain injury not displaying immediate signs of damage following an initial medical evaluation, can be caused by virtually any form of physical trauma to the head, or in cases of acquired brain injuries, can be caused by lack of oxygen to the brain due to internal factors. Essentially, anything causing a disruption in the normal functioning of the brain constitutes a brain injury.  In adults, the following symptoms of brain injuries are commonly noted including:

• Loss of consciousness following physical trauma, lack of oxygen, or exposure to chemicals

• Nausea

• Headache, including physical pain sensations in facial region, neck, and shoulders are commonly reported in certain cases

• Lack of cognition, inability to focus, and difficulty processing thoughts into speech

• Fatigue and listlessness

• Alterations in mood or personality

• Dizziness, often associated with nausea and inability to concentrate

However, especially specific to the nature of mild brain injuries, victim’s symptoms may not readily appear. In fact, victims may initially feel perfectly fine following an accident, only to recognize their condition worsening over time. Worsening matters, mild brain injuries are often difficult to detect in the emergency room, assuming a patient even seeks medical treatment after the injury, and are commonly misdiagnosed by medical professionals. In reality, however, the delay between the onset of injury symptoms and the actual event causing a mild brain injury is common. For this reason, any accident or incident involving physical trauma to head or brain should be considered serious and evaluated, including closely monitoring for symptoms appearing following immediate medical attention.

How to Respond to Suspected Mild Brain Injuries

The immediate concern in any brain trauma case is to receive medical treatment and evaluation. Following these actions, patients should carefully monitor themselves for latent symptoms of brain injuries, which may take several weeks to appear. Typically, the true extent of damages to a patient’s physical and mental capabilities following a mild brain injury accident will not be entirely know until well after the accident.

Getting Legal Help with Mild Brain Injury Claims

Should a victim believe negligence played a role in causing their mild brain injury, they must consult with a lawyer to proceed with making legal claims. In most cases, victims will require the assistance of an attorney to establish legal grounds for a claim, document the elements of a claim, and assess damages being sought by the victim.