When someone is involved in a serious accident the injuries suffered can be devastating. While the visible wounds usually heal before too long, the same cannot always be said regarding those to a person’s brain. For someone who suffers a traumatic brain injury, life may never be the same.
Long after the broken bones heal and the bruises and cuts disappear repercussions from a traumatic brain injury may continue to linger. They often manifest themselves in memory problems, dizziness and headaches. In addition, some have problems with walking and maintaining balance. These potential symptoms are fairly well known. What may not be as well known is the impact a TBI could have on one’s personality.
These changes are most likely in situations where the frontal lobe of the brain is injured. That particular portion of the brain is most concerned with things like organizing and planning. One expert in the field stated that a person’s personality is not really all that affected. Instead, the changes have more to do with impulse control and being able to recognize what appropriate responses are to the people surrounding them.
The permanent changes that may occur could make it necessary for the victim to master coping skills to address the difficulties they have.
There are many ways in which a person could suffer a brain injury including car accidents. When such an injury is due to the negligence of another person, the injured individual may decide to file a personal injury lawsuit. Because of the lingering effects, compensation recovered in a successful lawsuit is usually very helpful.
Source: NBC News, “‘A different person’: Personality change often brain injury’s hidden toll,” Bill Briggs, Sept. 28, 2013