New York residents who get into crashes often suffer from brain injuries. In fact, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) rank among the most common crash injuries. They are right up there with neck and back injuries.
Today we will focus on TBIs. We will examine the impact one brain injury may have on the rest of a victim’s life.
Cognitive changes after a TBI
Mayo Clinic takes a detailed look at traumatic brain injuries in crash victims. These victims often suffer in mental, physical and emotional ways. We will break each category down to examine them further.
As far as mental impact goes, TBIs often affect the memory. Victims may not have good short term memory after an accident. This may force them to change how they cope with daily life. Even long term memory may suffer devastating effects. It is not uncommon for victims to suffer from some form of amnesia as well. This often improves over time. In some, it does not.
Physical and emotional impacts of TBIs
On a physical level, victims may struggle with migraines and other chronic head pains. TBIs sometimes involve nerve damage. This damage may cause chronic pain in other areas of the body as well. Also, some TBI sufferers experience altered sensations. Their hearing, vision, sight, touch and sense of smell change. This alters the way they experience the world. For some, this is jarring.
Finally, victims often suffer on an emotional level due to the aforementioned impacts. When a head injury flips your life upside-down without warning, readjusting takes time. Many sufferers end up dealing with anxiety or depression. Some even develop post traumatic stress disorder. These struggles may last years after the initial accident.