The Lifelong Costs of a Severe TBI

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1.7 million people sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) each year in the United States. When they are severe, traumatic brain injuries can leave victims with significant and long-term disabilities and medical issues that can affect them for the rest of their lives. As a result, it’s critical that anyone that has sustained a TBI protecting their legal rights by retaining an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as they can.

Medical Expenses

Severe traumatic brain injuries often involve open head wounds other medical conditions that require emergency surgery and weeks or even months of hospital care. Not surprisingly, the medical expenses related to the initial treatment of a severe TBI can rise well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition, severe TBI victims often require ongoing care that can result in a lifetime of ongoing costs.

Lost Income

Many people who sustain severe traumatic brain injuries are unable to return to work for months or even years, if at all. Consequently, a TBI has the potential to result in a lifetime of lost income, which can be extremely difficult to calculate. Doing so involves much more than simply taking your paycheck and multiplying it by the number of years you have until you reach retirement age. It’s necessary to take into account issues like regular raises, inflation, career advancement, personal talents, and education when determining the amount of money victims would have earned over the course of their entire career. In many cases, it’s necessary to consult with financial and actuarial experts in order to come up with a reasonable figure to pursue. This is one of the many reasons it’s extremely important for victims to consult with an attorney after an accident and not just take the first settlement offer they receive.

Physical and Emotional Pain and Suffering

Physical and emotional pain and suffering are perhaps the most significant losses that severe TBI victims can sustain – and often the most difficult to establish. A severe brain injury can affect your ability to communicate, understand others, and engage in basic daily tasks. In many cases, it may prevent you from doing the things you enjoyed before your injury for the rest of your life. These kinds of noneconomic losses are compensable under Kansas law but capped at an amount that does not show much respect for life. We are working during the 2019 session to get this law changed so limits are raised to $500,000 for this category of damages.

Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Salina Personal Injury Attorney

The losses associated with a severe TBI can be tremendous, and insurance companies are ready to fight victims tooth and nail along every step of the way.

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury, you should speak to an attorney as soon as you can. At Neustrom & Associates, we have been helping injured victims obtain the compensation to which they are entitled since 1979. To schedule a free case evaluation with a personal injury attorney in Salina, call our office today at 785-825-1505 or contact us online.