In a trucking accident involving a car or another truck, passengers are often thrown about inside their vehicles. Even when seat belts are worn, the trauma caused by this rapid motion in a collision can cause serious spinal cord injuries and head injuries. Head injuries can be especially devastating for a number of reasons:
1) Head injuries may be hard to diagnose. In some cases, patients have few or no symptoms after an accident and symptoms only gradually develop. This can be fatal, unfortunately. Some patients do not seek medical help because they do not have any symptoms after a truck or car accident. It is only a few hours later that symptoms start to manifest themselves, and by this time it may be too late to get medical help, as swelling inside the brain expands rapidly.
2) Head injuries may change a lifestyle substantially. Head injuries may cause problems with concentration as well as severe memory loss and sensory problems. This can make it difficult for a patient to stay employed or enjoy everyday activities. A patient may not even be able to drive after a trucking accident. In many cases, a patient’s life is severely or even permanently altered by a head injury.
3) Head injuries usually require long rehabilitation times. Patients who have sustained a serious head injury may need therapy to deal with the emotional upheaval caused by their injury. They may also need extensive rehabilitation to learn how to perform everyday tasks again.
4) Head injuries usually result in emotional and social challenges. It is often difficult for patients to maintain their everyday social lives after an accident. Difficult concentration, emotional upsets, mood swings, and memory loss are all common symptoms which can result from a brain injury. For many family members and loved ones, coping with these symptoms in a patient can be very challenging and this can cause a patient to become isolated. In some cases, patients need to pay for family or group therapy as well as rehabilitation costs in order to continue to have good relationships.
5) Head injuries lead to many hard-to quantify losses. Head injuries are often hard to evaluate in terms of damages because there are so many intangible costs. Someone with a brain injury may experience loss of income because they are unable to return to work. However, they may also need to alter their home to cope with their injury. For example, a patient with severe brain injuries may need a full-time nurse or may need to install safety timers in their home to ensure that memory loss does not lead them to leave stove top elements on.