The physical consequences of a serious head injury can be far reaching and long term. But the problem with serious head injuries is that no two are the same. Every one will have its own catalogue of effects – from barely noticeable changes in speech patterns or short term memory loss to fundamental changes in personality, mobility and hand-eye co-ordination. While medical treatments can often help to alleviate the physical side effects of a head injury, the emotional trauma is often much more difficult to deal with.

Once the primary care treatment has stabilised the victim, the real work begins. We still don’t understand exactly how the brain works, particularly in relation to our emotional responses, although progress is being made all the time. Temporary damage may lead to short-term personality changes including depression and difficulty in controlling emotional responses such as anger or anxiety. Often, these reactions fade in time, but if the damage is more serious they can become a permanent problem.

The real trouble with these types of injuries is that the emotional trauma of the victim can become a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. As the patient becomes more anxious or depressed it can be harder for family and friends to reach out to them. While the support of family and friends is vital to the recovery prospects of a serious head injury victim, sometimes more professional support is needed.

Your specialist solicitor – using a network of contacts

It is here that your brain injury solicitor can help. Not only can they help you get the compensation you deserve if the injury was the fault of someone else’s negligence, but they can also help with the more practical aspects of recovery too. This includes calling on their extensive network of contacts to help both the victim and their family cope with the emotional trauma that can be the result of a serious head injury.

Because they only deal with serious injuries, specialist solicitors understand the type of emotional trauma that accompanies cases of this kind. They realise that every victim is different and will need very individual responses to their needs. As well as having the empathy, experience and understanding to help head injury victims, specialist solicitors also have the time. They take on far fewer cases than the average claims solicitor and so can devote more time and attention to each individual case.

Interim payments

Brain injury compensation claims often take longer to resolve than ordinary claims because the full long-term effects cannot be immediately gauged. However, if a third party admits responsibility, specialist solicitors can often arrange for an interim payment – an ‘advance’ on the final settlement. This interim payment can be used not just for practical help such as special adaptations to the victim’s home, but also to pay for specialist treatment that could have a significant impact in dealing with the emotional trauma of the injury.

The road to recovery from a serious head injury is a long one. Victims need to know that those who accompany them on their journey are there for the long haul and that emotional trauma (which may not manifest until later on in the recovery process) is being addressed with the same gravity as the physical aspects. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a serious accident that has resulted in a head injury, talk to a specialist solicitor to find out how they can help – not just financially but emotionally too.

Author Bio: Serious injury lawyers with unrivalled expertise. Specialist services for Motorcycle accident, brain injury claim, accident claim, head injury and spinal injury claim from the UK\’s leading specialised injury law practice.

Category: Legal
Keywords: head injury,Spinal injury,injury compensation,brain injury compensation