Does Concussion Recovery Time Affect Brain Injury Lawsuit Settlements?

For many, concussions seem like a relatively minor injury and something to be expected after an accident. However, while concussions can have very minor symptoms, they can manifest very major damage to your brain. Some who suffer a concussion as the result of an accident have brain damage that they never fully recover from, and they should be getting compensation as such.

What is a Concussion?

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that is the result of blunt force to the head or severe shaking of the head, either of which causes the brain to essentially bash into the side of your skull and damage the soft tissue. Symptoms can be mild or severe, but can often be confused with other ailments, which can make those who suffer from a concussion slow to get help. Concussion can often be confused with simple anxiety from just being in an accident, but it is important to seek help if you have even on symptom. The symptoms of concussions include:

• Headache
• Loss of balance
• Tinnitus, or ringing of the ears
• Memory loss
• Unconsciousness
• Nausea
• Slurred speech
• Seizures

Those are just the immediate symptoms of a concussion. Longer term symptoms can manifest including issues like blurred vision, psychological disorders, light and noise sensitivity, and altered taste or smell.

For some, concussion symptoms last for a few days. Others will suffer for months or years from a severe concussion. However, what many don’t realize is the time it takes to recover from a concussion that was the result of an accident can affect the lawsuit settlement they can receive.

How Concussion Recovery Time Affects Your Settlement

When it comes to accident settlements for concussions, you will be entitled to the standard damages for injuries. You can pursue damages for pain and suffering from the accident as well as the physical and mental impairment caused by the concussion.

If you suffered from concussion symptoms for more than a few days, you may also be entitled for your settlement to include compensation for a reduced quality of life. Long term symptoms of concussions can be very disruptive to a normal life, and the longer they last, the more you may get.

If you had a serious concussion, you will also want to keep good track of your medical bills. A big problem with brain injuries, aside from the unpredictable and permanent damage they can cause, is they can be very expensive to diagnose. If your concussion has serious symptoms, the MRIs, CTs, and all the other neurological testing you had to endure will be covered by an accident settlement.

In the same vein as tracking your medical expenses, if you have even the most minor symptoms of a concussion after an accident, you will want to seek medical help as soon as possible. The longer you wait to have a concussion diagnosed and treated can have an effect on your settlement amount. Furthermore, it could be argued that your lack of medical attention made the concussion worse than it needed to be, which in turn limits the amount you are entitled to.

Need Help?

Have you suffered a concussion or any other traumatic brain injury as a result of an accident? These injuries, while difficult to diagnose, are treated very seriously. They can cause long-lasting damage and disruption to your life. If you have suffered a concussion and want to discuss your legal options to get coverage for your expensive medical bills, contact us today. The Law Office of Freeman & Freeman is dedicated to helping those injured in unexpected accidents get the compensation that they are entitled to.