The short-term effects of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) usually are apparent within hours, if not immediately. Symptoms like dizziness, nausea and vomiting, confusion and light sensitivity have an obvious effect on your quality of life, independence and ability to earn an income.
Most of the shorter-term effects of a TBI eventually go away. But nobody, not even your doctor, can predict how your brain injury will affect you years from now. For one thing, scientists have found a possible link between brain trauma and an increased risk of dementia.
Study says brain trauma increases dementia risk
A study led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that people with one head injury in their medical history were 25 percent more likely to develop some form of dementia later in life. Two head injuries appeared to double the dementia risk. And out of the dementia cases that researchers used in the study, 9.5 had suffered at least one TBI in their lives.
This is not to say that someone who has had a brain injury will definitely develop dementia or that someone with no history of TBIs definitely won’t. But such a dramatically increased risk is cause for concern for anyone who suffered a head injury in a car accident. While a connection between a particular patient’s TBI and later dementia diagnosis may not be possible, this study shows how negligent behavior from a driver could affect your life in so many ways.
You can get compensation for the costs of your preventable TBI
A brain injury can cost you much more than a few sick days off work. A serious TBI can make working impossible for years, if not the rest of your life. You may lose the ability to help raise your children and enjoy your favorite hobbies. These are damages for which you can get real compensation under New Jersey law if they would not have happened except for someone else’s negligence.