Brain Injury Awareness Month Calls for a New Approach to Sufferers
Every year, thousands of people suffer from brain injuries in America. Car accidents, falls, and medical conditions are major causes. In March, the Brain Injury Association of America is encouraging the nation to think again about head injuries.
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has led the nation in observing Brain Injury Awareness Month for about three decades.
At Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers, our lawyers have years of experience in helping people who suffer brain injuries recover compensation from those responsible for their accidents.
Partner John Cooper was a member of the legal team that successfully obtained one of the largest jury awards for a closed-brain injury ever.
According to Brainline, about 2.8 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year in the United States. Of these people.
- 50,000 die,
- 282,000 are hospitalized, and
- 2.5 million are treated and released from emergency departments.
A significant number of people who survive a traumatic brain injury suffer permanent impairment. Brain injuries are complicated. On occasions, doctors may fail to diagnose a brain injury.
If you sustain a TBI in a car, truck, or motorcycle crash, an industrial accident, a slip and fall, or another accident, your life may be derailed. Some brain injury sufferers can no longer work and their home life suffers.
The life-altering impacts of a brain injury can include the following:
- Costly medical care — Brain injuries are very expensive. TBI sufferers may require short-term hospital care or long-term care in a rehabilitation facility or their home. They deserve compensation for these injuries if another party is to blame.
- An inability to work — Losing your job because of a brain injury can mean a loss of income and purpose. Disability pay typically only covers a fraction of most people’s income.
- Lost quality of life — You may never again be able to enjoy the kind of life you had before a brain injury.
- Strained family relationships — A traumatic brain injury often puts massive pressures on family life. Brain injuries can cause anger and inappropriate behavior. In severe cases, your family members are thrust into the role of carers.
- Poor concentration and memory — Head trauma may impact a TBI victim’s ability to comprehend and retain information. Memory, sleep, and tasks like reading may be affected.
- Pain and suffering — A traumatic brain injury can cause incredible pain and suffering, both physical and emotional. Victims deserve to be able to claim compensation for pain and suffering.
The Brain Injury Association of America is seeking to educate the public about TBIs.
The theme for the 2018 to 2020 campaign is Change Your Mind.
The association has launched a #ChangeYourMind public awareness campaign. It promises a platform to educate the public about brain injuries, how often they occur, and their devastating impact on families. The aim of the campaign is to.
- De-stigmatizing brain injuries through outreach within the brain injury community;
- Empower people who survive brain injury and their caregivers;
- Promote the many types of support available to people living with brain injuries.
In our state, the Brain Injury Association of Virginia does a great job in highlighting this issue and raising awareness. Cooper Hurley Injury lawyers is a supporter of the association.
We hope you or your family never has to deal with a traumatic brain injury. However, this problem is more common than many people think. If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury, please call us at (757) 231-6443.
