People can get hurt in all kinds of horrible ways when they are involved in a traffic accident. Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a particularly troubling type because it is difficult to treat and its symptoms may last for the rest of the person’s life. However, for many victims of this type of injury, there is hope of some type of recovery.
Recently, a former Minnesota woman who suffered TBI more than 30 years ago told reporters about her experience. In 1981, while she was an 18-year-old student at the University of Minnesota, she was driving on an icy road when she was struck head-on by another vehicle. Doctors had to install a steel plate in her skull.
To this day, the woman suffers cognitive symptoms from the brain injury. She said she occasionally mixes up her words and has trouble following a schedule. However, she defied her doctors’ expectations and returned to school, eventually graduating from college. She also started a support group for TBI survivors and dedicated her life to helping people like her. She was recently honored by a disability rights group for her service.
This woman’s story is unusual in many ways. Many people suffer much more severe brain injuries than she did, and many people have a harder time overcoming the obstacles that TBI causes for their personal goals. However, her story illustrates some important points about TBI. For one thing, it shows that many people can go on to live productive lives after suffering TBI. For another, it shows that TBI can continue to affect people decades after an accident.
Because the effects of TBI can be so long-lasting and unpredictable, personal injury lawsuits involving TBI can be difficult. Expert witness testimony must explain the injury to the court and predict how it will affect the victim’s life, and that of his or her family, for years to come. Cases such as this require skilled and experienced attorneys.
