Head injuries are some of the most devastating injuries you can sustain in a traffic accident. In fact, a brain injury can permanently alter the course of your life in the few moments it takes to be injured. If you’ve suffered a brain injury as a result of another driver’s negligence, you need the professional legal guidance of a Texas law office for car accidents.
What’s In This Guide
- Car Accident Head Injury Statistics
- Your Financial Losses
- The Psychological Effects
- Protecting Your Car Accident Claim
Car Accident Head Injury Statistics
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shares that car accidents are a common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). CDC describes these TBIs as injuries that affect how the brain actually works and that are often the result of a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, which are common to car accidents. When it comes to car accidents, Texas sees more than its fair share. The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) shares four important statistics regarding exactly how dangerous car accidents can be.
- One: In 2020, 14,656 people sustained serious injuries – including TBIs – in car accidents across the state.
- Two: While the number of annual vehicle miles traveled in Texas in 2020 decreased, the number of dangerous, injury-causing accidents increased.
- Three: 865 of the traffic fatalities in 2020 happened in intersections (or were related to intersections).
- Four: In 2020, 538 people lost their lives throughout the State of Texas in head-on collisions, which are closely associated with TBIs.
BrainLine shares three additional statistics about traumatic brain injuries themselves:
- Five: Traffic accidents are the leading cause of fatal TBIs.
- Six: About 2.8 million people suffer TBIs each year in the U.S. Of them, 50,000 die and another 282,000 are hospitalized.
- Seven: TBIs play a contributing part in about a third of all fatal injuries in the nation.
Traumatic brain injuries are as dangerous as they are common, and car accidents are a leading cause.
Your Financial Losses
The losses (or legal damages) you face as a result of a TBI can be immense.
Medical Expenses
Your medical expenses are likely to begin with emergency care at the scene of the car accident and to continue from there, including:
- Emergency transportation
- Surgery and follow-up care
- Hospitalization
- Medical treatments, tests, procedures, and supplies
- Prescription medications
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Pain management
- Treatment and care from doctors, specialists, and other medical professionals
- Home health care
Your Lost Wages
Serious injuries like TBIs often leave victims off the job, which means a loss in earnings. If your TBI affects your ability to do your job and grow your career, it can have long-term financial effects that are difficult to overcome.
The Psychological Effects
Because they affect the brain, TBIs are closely associated with serious psychological effects that can be life-altering, including:
- Severe mood swings and a shift in personality
- Increased irritability
- Depressive episodes
- Increased anxiety that can include anxiety attacks
- Sleep disturbances that can include night terrors
- A tendency to self-isolate and push others away
- Difficulty focusing
- Terrifying accident flashbacks
- Fear of getting back behind the wheel
All told, the physical, financial, and emotional losses associated with TBIs are so immense they can be difficult to fully comprehend.
[Related Article] Car Accident Rate Manual vs Automatic: Which is Safer?
Protecting Your Car Accident Claim
If you’ve suffered a TBI as a result of another driver’s negligence, reaching your fullest recovery will hinge upon your ability to obtain just compensation that covers your losses in their entirety. While your claim is specific to the details involved, there are several primary steps all accident victims should take to help protect their claims.
Listen to Your Doctor’s Orders
Because your health is paramount, you should seek the medical attention you need as soon after the accident as possible. Because TBIs are completely unpredictable, they can hide in plain sight until they become more serious and more difficult to effectively treat. Don’t wait to get checked out by a doctor, and once you do, follow your medical team’s orders, instructions, and advice carefully. It’s the right thing to do in terms of your health, and it lets the insurance company know that your injuries are exactly as serious as you claim they are.
Work Closely with an Experienced Car Accident Attorney
The most important step you can take after addressing your healthcare needs is reaching out to an experienced car accident attorney who will take on all the following primary tasks:
- Gathering all the available evidence, including eyewitness and expert testimony, to build your strongest claim
- Skillfully negotiating with the insurance company for a fair settlement that addresses you physical, financial, and emotional losses in their entirety
- Helping you take the steps necessary to obtain a favorable claim resolution
- Preparing your case for trial (in the event the insurance company does not engage in fair negotiations
Leave the Insurance Company to Your Attorney
While the insurance company will pester you for a statement, it’s important to understand that you are under no obligation to provide them with one, and it’s a good idea not to do so. Your dedicated car accident attorney will communicate with the insurance company on your behalf – thus avoiding the risk of the insurance representative leading you to make statements that end up hurting your claim.
Take a Social Media Break
The insurance company is going to be monitoring your social media activity, which makes taking a social media break at this juncture an excellent idea. They are good at twisting posts and photos to mean what they want them to mean, but if you stay off social media, they won’t have anything to work with.
An Experienced Texas Car Accident Attorney Is Standing by to Help
At The Patel Firm, our trusted Texas car accident attorneys are well prepared to skillfully fight for your rights and for your rightful compensation. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact or call us at 361-400-2036 today.
