Traumatic brain injury caused by an accident in Indiana can cause all kinds of complications, but they are especially complex and difficult to understand when a child sustains the injury. If your child has been injured in an accident and has sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), speak with an Indianapolis brain injury lawyer who can provide you with guidance as to how to navigate handling your injury claim.
Explanation of Traumatic Brain Injury
The phrase “traumatic brain injury (TBI)” is a term used to describe the injuries suffered when the head sustains trauma, either by being struck or shaken. A TBI is a particularly complex injury type, as it has not only physical ramifications, but also psychological and emotional impact.
A TBI can affect the way someone coordinates movements, organizes thoughts and speech patterns, and even how events are remembered. The delicate brain tissue protected by skulls does not heal the way other parts of the body do, so it’s important to realize that in some cases, a TBI can have a lasting effect. In the case of a child, it can have a permanent impact on learning and development as well.
A TBI can affect a host of different areas of learning for a child, including the following:
- Reasoning skills
- Word comprehension
- Memory recall
- Focus and attentiveness
- Analytical skills (such as problem solving)
- Speech
- Behavior
- Motor control and physical activities
- Learning style
- Sensory information and perception
TBI applies to injuries that are sustained through some traumatic event, such as an accident in Indiana and do not apply to birth defects or injuries sustained at birth.
Child TBI Injuries
The signs of a traumatic brain injury in a child after an accident in Indiana can vary depending on a number of mitigating or complicating factors, such as the exact location of the injury, whether it was an open or closed injury, and the age of the child.
If your child suffers a head injury, it’s important that you take him or her to get examined by a doctor. It can be difficult to discern whether or not a child who had a bump on the head is all right or whether medical attention is required. It is always safest to have a doctor check your child for serious injury. TBI can manifest differently in every person, and children are less able to communicate the subtle differences an adult might readily notice that would indicate a TBI.
Please note: There is a mythology about brain injuries that discourages parents from letting their children fall asleep in the event of a traumatic brain injury. This will not make any existing injury any worse. In most cases, it will make it easier for a doctor to examine your child and conduct the proper tests if your child has calmed down and has rested.
Of children ages 0-14 years, 435,000 emergency room trips are made each year for TBI, including 37,000 hospitalizations and up to 2,700 deaths.
If your child has been injured in an accident in Indiana and you believe or have been told by a medical professional that he or she has sustained a TBI, contact an Indianapolis brain injury lawyer who can explain your options to you.