Can You Recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury?

On This Page

1. Seeking Medical Treatment
2. Factors that Can Affect Recovery from a TBI
3. You Might Be Able to Recover Financially from a TBI
4. Contact Berger and Green for a Free Consultation

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

February 02, 2024

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

Some people can recover from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) fully if the injury is mild to moderate. Some people with severe TBIs can also make a full recovery, based on their prognosis and medical treatment.

According to the Mayo Clinic, TBIs are caused by hitting your head or an object piercing your skull and reaching your brain. TBI symptoms and complications include:

• Unconsciousness
• Headaches
• Seizures
• Coma
• Infections
• Brain death

Seeking Medical Treatment

The most important way to work towards recovering from a TBI is to seek medical treatment immediately after an accident where you injure your head. TBI symptoms tend to show up after the accident, which prompts many victims to think they are fine following an accident. However, if you go too long without getting treated and your symptoms progress, it might be more difficult to fully recover.

According to the Mayo Clinic, treatment for TBIs can include the following:

Medication

If the TBI is mild or moderate, some symptoms might include fluid build-up in the brain and seizures. Doctors often prescribe medication to mitigate these symptoms.

Diuretics help to reduce the fluid build-up and pressure in the brain following a TBI. They might also prescribe drugs to prevent seizures. If a TBI causes damage to a patient’s blood vessels, inhibiting oxygen from getting to their brain, doctors might induce a coma, which will lower the amount of oxygen the brain needs.

Surgery

A TBI might also require emergency surgery in order to mitigate the risks of fluid build-up, a fractured skull, blood clotting, and brain bleeds.

Following Up on Medical Care

Even if you suffered a TBI and sought the appropriate medical attention initially, you might still need ongoing care in order to recover as much as possible. Some people with severe TBIs might need rehabilitation to relearn how to speak, walk, write, and perform other basic tasks.

If someone else caused your TBI, following up on medical care is also a crucial part of seeking a settlement to help with the bills. If the insurance company of the party responsible sees that you aren’t attending doctor’s visits, physical therapy, and other ongoing care, they might be able to argue that your injuries aren’t as severe as you say.

Factors that Can Affect Recovery from a TBI

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are a few factors that might play a part in how much you recover following a TBI, including:

• The severity of the accident
• How old you are
• How healthy you were prior to the TBI
• How on top of treatment you are following emergency medical care

Generally, the less severe the TBI, the greater chance you have of recovering fully. However, a person’s age can affect how much they can recover. Those most at risk of suffering life-long consequences of TBIs are children and elderly adults.

Your health before the accident might also factor in your prognosis. For example, if a patient was a healthy athlete prior to the TBI, they might have a better chance at a full recovery than someone who has suffered a prior head injury.

You Might Be Able to Recover Financially from a TBI

TBIs can lead to severe pain and suffering for a patient and their family. Adding on top of that burden are the associated costs with medical bills and ongoing treatment costs. However, if someone else negligently caused you or your loved one’s TBI, they could be responsible for paying for the expenses.

Seeking Compensation from an Insurance Company

You might be able to file a personal injury claim with the negligent party’s insurance company to recover compensation for your losses.

Filing a Lawsuit Against the Negligent Party

If you aren’t able to reach a settlement outside of court, or the negligent party’s coverage does not adequately compensate you, you could file a personal injury lawsuit against them.

In either route you take, a personal injury lawyer can help.

Contact Berger and Green for a Free Consultation

At Berger and Green, we believe you should not have to suffer further from the expenses related to a TBI that someone else caused. A Pittsburgh personal injury lawyer from our team might be able to help you financially recover from a traumatic brain injury.

Call a member of our legal team today for a free consultation to see if we can help you at (412) 661-1400.