Head injuries can occur at any age and although they are not visible their impacts can be long lasting. Children and adolescence are at the highest risk of experiencing head trauma. Most of the time pediatric head injuries are mild and will not have long lasting effects. It is normal for children to fall or experience an accident every once in a while. That is part of childhood. Unfortunately, sometimes, children can experience severe head trauma that can leave them with long-term consequences. When this happens, it is important for parents and guardians to understand the implications of this injury and their legal options when seeking compensation for their child’s head injury.

Head injuries can occur from a variety of causes including sport and recreational accidents, motor vehicle accidents, a fall from a bike, a pedestrian collision, being struck with an object, falling from a large height and physical abuse. When a child experiences a severe head injury it is referred to as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and can be classified as mild, moderate or severe. Depending on the classification the child may be subject to long term effects.

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI) EFFECTS:

• Cognitive Tasks: trouble with memory, learning difficulties, ability to make decisions
• Physical Symptoms: ringing in the ears, tingling, pain in the head, double vision, changes in taste
• Emotional Regulation: increased aggression, depression, anxiety, mood swings, difficulty with social interactions and relationships
• Communication: difficulty with reading and writing, trouble talking, trouble expressing feelings and thoughts
• Degenerative Effects: research has suggested that TBI’s can be linked to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

The impacts of head trauma are not to be taken lightly. Not only does the injury greatly impact the child, but it can also have a large impact on the child’s family and caregivers. A family and their child may be eligible for compensation if the head injury was due to somebody else’s negligence. This means that somebody else is at fault and due to this person’s mistake the child experienced their head injury. This fault can also fall on a company or corporation, private or public property. A personal injury lawyer can help establish if there is fault and assess the injury, to determine if compensation should be given.

EXPERIENCED PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER

If your loved one has been injured, contact Tony Lafazanis for a FREE case evaluation. Tony has over 40 years of experience as a personal injury lawyer and understands the often-complex issues in such cases.

References:
Study Reveals Extent of Traumatic Brain Injuries
How to Handle a Traumatic Brain Injury Claim
Pediatric Head Trauma – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf
Patient education: Head injury in children and adolescents (Beyond the Basics) – UpToDate
What are the possible effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI)? | NICHD – Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development