Few types of personal injury are more devastating and life-altering than a brain injury. Even the mildest, non-life threatening versions can still have a grave impact on your quality of life. They’re not something to take lightly, especially if you’ve recently been in an accident that may have left you such an injury.
Just as bad if not worse, though, is dealing with the aftermath of this kind of injury. Both for yourself or a loved one, coping with brain injuries can be a lot of unpleasant work as you try to adjust to life and find the proper treatment. Even more troubling can be how difficult it is to get proper compensation for your injury if it wasn’t your fault.
For a lot of people, it’s hard not to feel like you’re completely on your own when you’ve suffered a brain injury. That doesn’t have to be the case, though. To help you get off on the right foot in adjusting to everything, here’s some advice on coping with a brain injury both physically and legally.
Acceptance
The first step to dealing with a brain injury is the simple act of accepting that it’s happened. While this sounds simple on the surface, it’s much harder than many would expect. It often means realizing that there are things that you once enjoyed or took for granted that simply aren’t possible due to things like loss of motor functions, impaired senses, or any number of other issues that can come about as a result of this injury.
However, it’s equally important that you don’t try to force yourself to move on immediately. Much like you’d grieve a loved one’s death, you’re in a period of grieving for yourself. Accepting your injury and any resulting disability can take months or even years to fully come to terms with. The only thing to always keep in mind is not to give up.
Medicine
Proper medical care is obviously an important part of coping with a brain injury. Both immediately after and in the future, you’ll likely need competent and experienced care to help you recover and deal with the aftermath.
In many cases, you’ll likely need to see a specialist in your particular type of injury. The kind of care they may prescribe will depend on the severity, as well, so try to stay informed of your condition on your own. Additionally, don’t be afraid to look for a second opinion. Brain injuries are a tricky subject and getting more eyes on the problem is almost never a bad thing. All of this will make adjusting to your injury that much easier.
Legal Counsel
No matter what type of injury you have, it’s important to have proper legal representation to stand beside you in your lowest moments. This is especially true for brain injuries, as there are numerous pitfalls and annoyances you can encounter when trying to help yourself. One such problem could be in holding people accountable for the accident that caused your injury, the process of proving negligence on their part often being arduous and difficult for various reasons.
Not only that, it can often be a battle to get proper compensation from your insurance company. As your insurance is motivated by profit above all else, there are numerous ways they might try to short change you on the money you should be paid out. It’s not uncommon for them to even accuse you of outright faking your injury, as certain brain injuries are hard to spot through medical imaging.
To avoid this, you’ll need legal counsel experienced in these types of cases. Places like the Law Firm of Freeman & Freeman are one effective option, as they have extensive experience helping those in need get what they’re owed in situations of traumatic injury.