Motorcycle riders are at greater risk of suffering severe brain injuries after an accident. Unlike other motorists, they’re highly exposed, with helmets offering the only protection. While helmets reduce their fatality rate by up to 73%, they might still not be enough to protect against traumatic brain injuries.
Traumatic brain injuries occur when a blow or trauma to the head alters the brain’s normal functioning. This injury is severe and can change your life forever. It’s important to protect your health and financial future after suffering a brain injury in a motorcycle accident.
So, what should you do if you suffer brain injury after a motorcycle accident? This article offers a comprehensive guide on understanding TBI and its impact on life and what to do if you suffer such injuries.
Signs of Brain Injuries After a Motorcycle Accident
If you hit your head on the road or a hard object in a motorcycle accident, you might have suffered brain injuries.
Many brain injuries do not show signs immediately and may take even weeks before you experience any abnormalities. Other times, you may start experiencing the symptoms immediately after the accident.
Whether they show immediately or after a while, these are the signs to expect.
- Headache
- Excessive fatigue
- Weakness
- Numbness
- Poor coordination
- Speech problems
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dizziness
- Memory loss
- Loss of consciousness
Even if you experience a few or mild symptoms above, they are still great warning signs of brain injury and should not be ignored. It’s important to seek immediate medical attention to prevent the symptoms from worsening and causing significant life changes.
Impact of Brain Injuries on Motorcycle Riders
You should understand that there’s nothing mild about TBI after a motorcycle accident. Even a minor brain injury can interfere with your normal routine forever.
Brain injuries can result in temporary or permanent complications depending on the nature of the accident and the actions you take afterward.
Victims may find it hard to return to work or school after the injuries because they interfere with their ability to learn or perform certain tasks. Some common impairments of TBIs include:
Thinking Impairment
TBI impacts the victim’s ability to think properly. Victims may experience difficulties learning new things and recalling things from their long or short-term memories. This can also affect their decision-making abilities and rational reasoning.
Emotional Struggles
Brain injury can cause a change in a loved one’s personality. The struggles that come with these injuries, such as financial stress, cause anxiety and depression.
Victims can be out of character and portray certain behaviors they didn’t have before. They can be aggressive or withdrawn most of the time.
Loss of Sensations
Brain injuries can also have a severe impact on the victim’s senses. Double vision or visual impairment is one of the everyday struggles. They may also feel body numbness or excruciating pain. Others experience loss of taste and hearing loss.
What to Do After Suffering Brain Injuries in a Motorcycle Accident
Whether you experience the symptoms immediately or after a few weeks, you must take drastic steps to protect yourself health wise and financially. Here are some things you should do after suffering brain injuries in a motorcycle accident.
Seek Medical Help
It’s crucial to get a medical evaluation immediately after an accident to rule out any severe injuries. However, even if the doctor gives you a clean bill of health, you might still experience symptoms that were not apparent immediately after the accident. In any case, do not shy away from going back to the doctor.
Seeking immediate medical help when you notice any signs of brain injuries will help protect you from lifelong impacts. If not diagnosed and treated on time, a temporary brain injury can lead to permanent damage.
Get a thorough medical evaluation in the hospital to treat serious brain injuries. Doctors will run various tests to rule out any serious injury. Follow up with your doctor’s treatment plan to the end, even if you feel okay after a few weeks.
File a Personal Injury Claim
One of the most important reasons you should seek immediate medical help if you suffer brain injuries is to strengthen your personal injury claim. If someone else causes the accident, you won’t have to bear all the financial burden.
You need to file a personal injury claim and get compensation to cover the medical costs and losses you might incur.
However, to prove that you indeed suffered brain injuries, you need a doctor’s report. The report must show the extent of your injuries and confirm that they were caused by the crash.
Seeking immediate medical attention and adhering to the treatment plan will help strengthen your personal injury case.
Work With a Personal Injury Attorney
Sometimes, it may be difficult to recover compensation if you don’t have an attorney by your side. An attorney can help you build a strong personal injury case and help you recover the compensation that you deserve.
You also need the help of an attorney if you’re severely injured and incapacitated to the extent that you can’t file your claim by yourself.
An attorney will work on your behalf to file a personal injury claim and access the evidence you need before it gets lost. They may also gather witnesses and testimony needed to work on your case.
With the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer, you can successfully negotiate with insurance companies to ensure you’re not duped. An attorney will fight for you to get fair compensation to cover the medical expenses from your injuries and losses due to missed work.
Bottom Line
Brain injuries after motorcycle accidents are severe and can change your life forever if you don’t take drastic actions. Seeking medical help will help you recover quickly and prevent lifelong damage.
You’ll also need the doctor’s report to prove that your injuries resulted from the accident and get the compensation you deserve.
Don’t forget to work with an experienced personal injury lawyer if someone else caused your accident, and you need to seek fair compensation.
Getting an attorney frees you from the struggles of gathering evidence and negotiating with insurance companies. You can simply turn your case to them and focus on your full recovery.
