Anyone who endures a hard blow or sharp jolt to the head could sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Traumatic brain injuries can result in long-term or permanent brain damage, impairing a victim’s memory, personality, cognition, ability to move, and more.
Traumatic brain injuries can be extraordinarily costly to treat. Some victims require intensive, lifelong care. Keep reading to learn more about the TBI treatment costs and how individuals can claim compensation in serious brain injury claims.
What Is the Cost of Brain Injury Rehabilitation?
Once your condition has stabilized after sustaining a traumatic brain injury, you’ll begin the process of healing and retraining your body. Some of the rehabilitation costs you may incur after a TBI include:
- Speech therapy – Many brain injuries affect speech, cognition, or memory. Frequently, these impairments are treated by speech and language therapists.
- Specialized nursing care – Traumatic brain injuries can impair mobility and prevent people from performing daily activities. In some cases, these effects are permanent. Nurses who have a background in caring for TBI patients can help patients take care of themselves.
- Neuropsychologists – The brain is one of the most complex parts of the body. Even people with similar injuries can experience vastly different impairments. Neuropsychologists can conduct tests to determine the severity of the impairment and how it affects behavior. Then they can outline a rehabilitation program to address the victim’s specific impairments.
- Physical/occupational therapists – Depending on the nature of the injury and its effects, traumatic brain injuries can leave victims unable to move part of their bodies. Physical therapists can help strengthen the body and restore movement to damaged areas. Occupational therapists work to assist patients in learning how to complete tasks like dressing and brushing their hair.
- Residential or supportive Living – Many times a TBI patient requires more support and supervision and may need a residential program. Such programs range from very restrictive if the patient has behavioral issues, to more loosely supervised supportive living environments if the patient requires less supervision.
Other Costs of a Serious Brain Injury
In many cases, brain injury victims need emergency treatment and may have to spend days, weeks, or even months in the hospital before they can begin the rehabilitation process. These costs can be quite substantial.
You may also have had some of your personal property damaged when you suffered your brain injury. For example, you may need to replace your vehicle if it was totaled in a car accident.
Traumatic brain injuries also have other direct and indirect economic costs. Between your initial hospital stay and follow-up medical appointments, you might miss a lot of work. And if you’ve developed long-term disabilities because of a TBI, you may have trouble earning a living in the future. Even the best insurance policies won’t cover your costs forever. The Neurologic Rehabilitation Center at Brookhaven Hospital estimates that someone who sustains a TBI in their twenties can expect to spend up to $20 million in treatment costs throughout their lifetime.
Getting Help With the Costs of a Serious Brain Injury
If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you need to start planning for the future now. By filing a personal injury claim against the negligent party, you can pursue full and fair compensation so you get the care you need to live comfortably.
At Christensen Law, we are proud of our track record of obtaining record-setting case results for traumatic brain injury victims in Michigan. Call or contact us today for a free initial consultation with an experienced TBI lawyer.
