The brain, the control center for all human functions, holds our memories, dreams, goals, and aspirations. It is deeply intertwined with our identity and essence. This crucial role it plays in our existence is what makes traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) such devastating medical conditions. They can drastically and adversely affect a patient’s quality of life, potentially altering their sense of self. The ripple effects of such injuries often extend beyond the individual, profoundly impacting their family and loved ones.

In circumstances where a traumatic brain injury has occurred due to an accident caused by another party’s negligence, it’s crucial to know that you have legal rights. Legal remedies can help alleviate some financial burdens associated with ongoing medical care, lost earnings, and the pain and suffering experienced.

If you or a loved one find yourself in such a situation in Yuba City, our seasoned team of brain injury attorneys is ready to provide the support and representation you need. Contact us at (530) 392-9400 or toll-free at (800) 404-5400 for a complimentary consultation. 

When people suffer a brain injury, they don’t just have medical issues to think about. Brain injuries can cause significant logistical problems during the treatment process and after discharge. These include:

• Financial Issues: Even the most financially comfortable families could be significantly stressed from brain injuries. While health insurance may cover a substantial portion of the treatment costs, many plans still have high deductibles. If the patient requires a stay in the intensive care unit or the ICU, it is possible to quickly reach the lifetime limit on many plans. This can place any family in a difficult situation financially.
• Employment Issues: Many people think about what happens if and when a patient suffering a traumatic brain injury can return to work; however, there are also employment issues related to the spouse. Depending on the symptoms the patient has developed (and whether or not they resolve), they may be unable to care for themselves for the rest of their life. This means there are impacts on caretakers of brain injury patients and the patient themselves, particularly if the spouse has to leave their job to care for the patient.
• Follow-Up Issues: A traumatic brain injury treatment doesn’t end when the patient is discharged. Almost every patient suffering a brain injury will require rehabilitation to try and work on any lifelong complications that may have developed. These visits could be challenging to schedule, mainly if the patient cannot drive, and Rehab appointments can also become expensive. Furthermore, the type of rehabilitation will vary depending on the symptoms the patient developed.

Just as there are different brain injuries, the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury and any lifelong comorbidities that develop will vary depending on the lobe of the brain impacted. The primary lobes of the brain control different bodily functions and include:

• Frontal Lobe: The frontal lobe of the brain controls the patient’s judgment and executive functions. Patients with damage to their frontal lobe will have difficulty planning a complex series of steps, weighing the risks and benefits of their actions, and will suffer from a loss of inhibition. They have a low tolerance for frustration and are prone to emotional swings. Frontal lobe damage can impact a person’s ability to maintain relationships, process their finances, and perform basic activities of daily living.
• Temporal Lobe: The temporal lobe is responsible for learning new skills, forming new memories, and retaining old ones. The patient will suffer long-term and short-term memory loss with any damage to the temporal lobe. If a patient is right-hand dominant and suffers an injury to the left part of their frontal lobe, they could develop aphasia. There are many different types, but they impact a person’s ability to comprehend and produce language. This ability is stored in the right temporal lobe if a person is left-handed.
• Parietal Lobe: The parietal lobe is responsible for processing a significant amount of information the body senses. For example, people with damage to their parietal lobe may lose the ability to identify objects by touch, have trouble differentiating hot or cold, and may start to appear clumsier due to hemineglect. Patients with parietal lobe damage are prone to neglect the side of the body opposite the parietal lobe that has been damaged. Patients with right-sided parietal lobe damage may ignore the left half of their body and any objects on the left side of their field of vision. This is called hemineglect.
• Occipital Lobe: This lobe is responsible for vision. Damage to the occipital lobe will have different impacts on visual impairment and blindness depending on the degree to which the lobe has been damaged. Patients may have trouble with depth perception and color identification and could even start to hallucinate. They also commonly have trouble reading, writing, and recognizing types of movement.
• Cerebellum: The cerebellum is responsible for correcting mistakes in motor movement. Patients with cerebellar damage will have trouble coordinating their movements and adjusting for minor errors in their motor skills. For example, if someone is taking the stairs and misses a step, their body may not appropriately compensate for the missed step. Patients with cerebellar damage suffer from ataxia or a general lack of motor coordination.

Watch the following video to get a better understanding of traumatic brain injury:

Brain injuries can cause various symptoms depending on the area of the brain affected, making them challenging to diagnose and treat. If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury, please contact our experienced Yuba City brain injury attorneys at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400 for friendly, free advice.

See a list of our past cases on our verdicts and settlements page.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 5.24.23] Image: By “sbtlneet” via Pixabay dr [cs 1002]}