Brain Injury Victims in Virginia are Honored During Brain Injury Awareness Month

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. It’s a time when support organizations, politicians, and others highlight the toll traumatic brain injuries take on Americans and the struggle they face to lead normal lives.

Traumatic brain injuries are caused by falls, auto accidents, assault and medical conditions such as strokes or medical malpractice during childbirth. About 266,000 Virginians live with disabilities caused by traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam launched Brain Injury Awareness Month with a proclamation. He noted about 2.8 million Americans, including 474,000 children, sustain a TBI every year. He said about 266,000 Virginians live with a brain injury. Additionally, about 28,000 people in Virginia sustain a TBI including concussions every year. More than 7,000 end up in a hospital bed after car accidents, falls, assaults, injuries on the sports field, and in the workplace.

The Brain Injury Association of American and Its Cause

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) has led the nation in observing Brain Injury Awareness Month for more than three decades. The BIAA and its affiliate the Brain Injury Association of Virginia run an engaging public awareness campaign every March.

The theme for the 2018 to 2020 campaign is Change Your Mind. The BIAA seeks to educate the public about the widespread nature of brain injuries and the needs of people with TBIs through its #ChangeYourMind public awareness campaign. The awareness campaign has three aims, namely to:

• Destigmatize brain injuries via outreach in the community;
• Promote the different types of support available to people with brain damage; and
• Empower people who survive brain injuries and their caregivers.

You can visit the Brain Injury Association of America’s website to see how you can help with the campaign.

How Can You Help Brain Injury Victims in Virginia?

Brain injuries are notoriously complicated and difficult to diagnose. They range from a mild concussion that clears up in days or weeks to an injury that leaves the victim permanently disabled. Traumatic brain injuries can derail your career, lead to depression and anxiety, and affect family and professional relationships. A TBI may be a hidden injury as it can be easy to miss the signs of brain damage. Even CT scans and MRIs may fail to identify brain damage unless it’s serious.

Many car crash victims and people hurt in slip and falls suffer mild traumatic brain injuries. The label is misleading because these injuries can have serious consequences and be life-changing. Any time you suffer a concussion in a car or truck crash or another incident, this is a brain injury even if it is categorized as mild. In a significant minority of cases, you can sustain a TBI in a car, motorcycle, or a truck wreck and the symptoms are not only present for six months or more but they can have lifelong effects on a person.

If you suspect a family member has a TBI, get your loved one to see a specialist and undergo testing. Talk to your personal injury lawyer about your concerns if you are considering a lawsuit.

Additionally, you should reach out to a support group. Life with a TBI can be hard for sufferers and family members alike. Brain injuries are associated with a wide range of mood and behavioral issues that affect the individual’s overall quality of life. The change is obvious in people with severe traumatic brain injuries but more subtle for people with mild TBIs. You may not feel like you did before but are unable to pinpoint specific changes.

The three main areas a TBI victim must come to terms with are ‘knowing and thinking’ consequences, physical effects, and emotional and behavioral issues. The extent to which an individual confronts these issues depends on factors like the level of family support, the person’s adaptability, and their access to services and money. Often a personal injury lawsuit could help someone suffering from a TBI obtain the finances needed for the long-term treatment by seeking compensation from the appropriate party.

When Should Brain Injury Victims in Virginia Talk to a Lawyer?

Someone else may be to blame for your injury. It could be another driver who caused a crash, the business owner whose slippery stairs caused your fall, or someone who attacked you. Although medical conditions like strokes cause many TBIs, the inaction of a doctor could have exacerbated the severity of your brain injury. If you or a family member suffers a catastrophic injury of this nature, please talk to our Virginia traumatic brain injury lawyers. Not all law firms have the resources and the knowledge to handle these cases. You can lose significant sums of money you are entitled to if your lawyer fails to highlight your TBI. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers is a proud supporter of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia and Brain Injury Awareness Month. Call us for a free consultation as soon as possible.