The Costs of Treating a Traumatic Brain Injury

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), you may wonder about the treatment costs. The good news is that many resources are available to help pay for TBI-related costs. However, the amount of help you receive will depend on the severity of your injury and where you live.

This blog post will discuss the costs of treating a TBI and what individuals hurt in personal injury incidents can expect from their injuries. Additionally, it will highlight how your work with a personal injury attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve if your TBI is attributable to someone else’s negligence.

The Seriousness of Traumatic Brain Injuries in the United States

Unfortunately, there aren’t many injuries as serious as a TBI; these injuries are considered a significant cause of death and disability in the United States. A TBI can result from a Chicago car accident, fall, workplace injury or accident, or another type of personal injury incident. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year, about 176 people a day in the United States die from TBI-related injuries.

While anyone can suffer a TBI, males aged 15-24 are twice as likely as females to have TBI-related injuries and hospitalizations. Other groups, such as people 75 years or older, have the highest TBI-related hospitalizations and deaths. Children aged 0-17 years had approximately 16,000 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2019 and nearly 2,800 TBI-related deaths in 2020.

That’s not all; a TBI-related injury can typically lead to a long road to recovery, including physical therapy, memory loss, impaired motor function, and disability. In addition, there are often costly medical bills and the possibility of reduced earnings for the rest of one’s life. However, many would define the severity of the TBI based on the long-term and short-term issues resulting from the injury.

Long And Short-Term Consequences of a TBI

Our legal team at Thomas Law Offices has seen where the effects of a TBI can last anywhere from a few days to the person’s entire lifetime, depending on the injury’s severity. For instance, someone in Chicago with only a mild concussion may experience short-term problems that go away within weeks or months.

However, someone with moderate or severe brain damage will likely have a lifetime of issues. Here are some TBI injury symptoms someone suffering from this condition can expect:

• Persistent headaches or a headache that gets worse
• Convulsions or seizures
• Dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes
• Loss of coordination
• Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears
• Loss of consciousness from several minutes to hours
• Weakness or numbness in fingers and toes

TBI Sufferers and Their Outcomes

Moderate to severe TBI sufferers will have one or more problems after recovery. For example, TBI victims usually have a shorter life expectancy of approximately nine years but are more likely to die from seizures, drug poisoning, pneumonia, and infections. Not to mention that moderate to severe TBI sufferers generally have a list of chronic health problems:

• At least 57% are moderately to severely disabled
• 55% do not have a job but did before their injury
• 50% go back to the hospital at least once
• 12% reside in nursing homes or other institutions
• 33% rely on others for help with everyday activities

In addition, the CDC estimates that approximately 30% of people with a TBI will experience long-term problems with:

• Thinking (memory, attention, and reasoning)
• Sensory processing (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell)
• Emotion (frustration, irritability, anxiety, depression, and aggression)
• Mobility (extremity weakness, impaired coordination, and issues with balance)

The Costs Associated With Traumatic Brain Injury

The costs of TBI injuries can be staggering. The amount you will pay will vary depending on the Chicago accident’s cause, the type of injuries incurred, and the medical outlook; in other words, everyone’s experience and injuries are unique. Discussing the monetary costs of these types of damages is quite common, but the personal cost is often immeasurable to the victim and their family.

You can divide the costs of TBI injuries into two categories: immediate and long-term costs.

Immediate Costs TBI Patients Have

Medical bills that result from the initial treatment of the TBI, such as emergency room costs, hospitalization costs, surgery costs, and costs for medications and rehabilitation are some examples of immediate costs brain injury patients may have. These costs can be staggering, as the hospitalization for a TBI can last from days to weeks, and some patients may need multiple surgeries. The costs can range from $30,000 for a mild TBI to over $200,000+ for a severe TBI.

Long-Term Costs TBI Patients Have

The long-term costs of a TBI can include costs for:

• Medical care and treatment: This can range from $2,100 to $401,000.
• In-home care and assistance: This costs approximately $4,290 per month.
• Psychological counseling: It can cost anywhere from $50-$200+ per session.
• Vocational rehabilitation: This can cost between $100-$170+ per hour for therapy sessions.
• Adaptive Equipment and Home Modifications: Manual wheelchairs can cost between $500-$2,000 and as $30,000 or more. It can be between $820-$19,000 to modify a home for wheelchair use.
• Nursing Home Bills: The is $108,405 annually in the United States.

Consult a Personal Injury Lawyer About Your Case

A Chicago TBI victim can experience many severe setbacks, costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars over their lifetime. Unfortunately, it is difficult to estimate how much every individual will lose in economic opportunities because each Illinois case is different. You may benefit from speaking with one of our knowledgeable Thomas Law Offices personal injury attorneys who can help calculate your losses and file a successful claim on your behalf.

If somebody else is to blame for your injury, you must find experienced legal assistance immediately. The cost of a traumatic brain injury affecting you and your loved ones may be much higher than initially thought. Complications from TBIs can present themselves long after the initial trauma. Many brain injury lawyers, including ours, will investigate your case free of charge, even if you don’t think another party is to blame.

Personal Injury Attorneys That Handle TBI Cases

If you or a loved one have suffered a TBI in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. The first step is to contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your Illinois case. The costs of treating a TBI can be financially and emotionally devastating.

Our skilled and experienced lawyers will fight to get insurance companies to pay out what you deserve. You should not bear the burden of expensive TBI costs caused by someone else. Contact Thomas Law Offices today to learn how one of our traumatic brain injury attorneys in Chicago can help you.