It’s no secret that serious injuries in car accidents can present you with an uphill battle toward recovery, no matter how you get injured. However, many people still feel fundamentally the same after the crash. They just want to overcome the physical limitations and get healthy again.
With a brain injury, though, the impact can go a lot deeper. You may not ever feel or act the way you once did. Family members may feel like you are a completely different person. You could look the same and fully recover physically, but they’ll still feel like they don’t know you.
2 similar experiences
It is worth noting that brain injuries are different for everyone. You may not have the same complications as someone else. You can still learn from what happened to them, however, so let’s take a look at two different examples. In the first, a man got into a car accident and, a dozen years later, he still did not feel the same at all.
“I used to have so much good humor and I used to be a leader. But now, after [my] brain injury, I’m more inclined to just watch,” he said in an interview. “I used to be even-tempered but now I might flare up with anger, especially if I’m tired.”
The man’s life also took a step back. He began living with his parents, even though he was 31 years old. His personality changes impacted every area of his life. He lost things he used to excel at, seemingly forever.
His personality changes are not necessarily uncommon. Another man suffered brain damage after a heart attack. Despite the difference in the cause of the injury, his personality changed in a very similar way.
“Emotionally, he would go from zero to 60 – get frustrated by something he recognized he couldn’t do, like putting on his clothes in the right order,” his wife said. “He would be humiliated and that would quickly lead to anger.”
Her observation is a very important one because it shows how all of the physical and mental changes relate to one another. The anger and frustration that people feel after a brain injury may be related to a reduction in skills that they know they had before they got hurt. They feel like they should still be able to live life the same way, but they can’t. That takes an immense emotional toll.
Seeking compensation
Did you suffer a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, or do you live with a loved one who has life-long symptoms? If so, you must know all of the options you have to seek out the necessary financial compensation.
