The last thing you expected was to suffer an injury on the job. You took pride in following the safety rules and making sure others did, too. Unfortunately, a new hire made a mistake, and you ended up falling and hitting your head as a result.
You suffered a moderate brain injury from the impact, and you’ve been recovering. Long-term goals aside, the reality is that you may never be able to return to the job you were doing before. You can’t communicate as well as you used to, and it has taken time to get back the agility you had before the accident. You may have to seek disability because of how this has all turned out.
Even with treatment, traumatic brain injuries can have long-term implications
Even when you seek out medical care for a head injury right away, there is a potential that you could be left with symptoms for many months or years after the incident. Traumatic brain injuries can have a variety of effects on the body, too. You could have trouble with fatigue and dizziness, or you could have sensory problems. You may have new-onset seizure activity or a loss of coordination. Everyone is different. Symptoms can remain for weeks, months or years after a traumatic brain injury. Certain symptoms may never fully resolve for some patients.
How do you know how serious your injury is?
Injuries to the brain are rated on the Glasgow Coma Scale. The scale rates your abilities from 3 to 15, with higher scores being given to those with less-serious injuries. This scale assesses many actions from your ability to follow directions to being able to move on command. Coherence is considered, too. Combined with a physical exam, this scale helps diagnose the severity of the injury.
Some imaging tests, including a magnetic resonance imaging test and computerized tomography scan, may be used to check your brain. CT scans are usually the first performed, followed by the MRI, which is normally given when your condition stabilizes and if your symptoms are not improving.
No brain injuries are the same, so it is hard to say how your injuries will affect you in the long term. Victims of injuries should always seek compensation to cover their medical care and other financial losses. If the injury results in a disability, there could be a potential for seeking Social Security Disability for long-term benefits.
