All traffic accidents have the potential to do severe damage. But crashes involving large trucks can cause catastrophic harm due to the massive size difference between a tractor-trailer and a passenger car. A head or brain injury can cost victims their health, livelihood, and financial security. Understanding what to do in the aftermath of a Maryland truck accident can help you pursue compensation for those losses.
What Types of Brain Injuries Are Caused by Truck Accidents?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from damage caused by an external source, such as the head hitting a dashboard or a foreign body penetrating the skull. Some of the most common TBIs associated with truck accidents include:
- Concussion – A concussion is a type of TBI that occurs when the brain moves rapidly back and forth within the skull after a hit or blow to the head.
- Brain herniation – Swelling and bleeding can cause pressure to build in the skull and compress brain tissue in what doctors call brain herniation. This can result in a stroke, permanent brain damage, or even death.
- Contusions – Extreme force can cause the brain to ricochet around the skull, causing injuries on different sides of the brain. The result of this impact is called a coup-contrecoup injury.
- Cerebral hemorrhage – A cerebral hemorrhage is a stroke due to trauma. It causes brain bleeding, which is a life-threatening condition.
- Diffuse axonal injury – This type of TBI results when rapid acceleration or deceleration exerts extreme force on the brain, tearing the nerve fibers and causing catastrophic damage.
- Penetrating brain injury – This type of TBI occurs when a foreign object, such as a bullet, pierces the skull and damages brain tissue.
Other types of head injuries include skull fractures, facial cuts, dental trauma, and broken bones.
What are the Long-Term Effects of Head and Brain Injuries?
Certain head and brain injury symptoms may linger for weeks or months after a truck accident. These long-term effects include:
- Cognitive impairments – Any brain injury can impair the patient’s memory, learning ability, reasoning skills, attention, speech, or concentration.
- Emotional and behavioral changes – Some truck accident victims experience depression, anxiety, and mood swings due to their brain injury. Others have trouble in social situations, engage in risky behavior, or even have unexpected verbal or physical outbursts.
- Physical disabilities – Brain damage can cause seizures, vertigo, or debilitating headaches. Sometimes, these symptoms dissipate over time. In other cases, they are lingering and permanent complications of a TBI.
- Rehabilitation and therapy programs – These services will likely be necessary as a victim recovers from a head or brain injury and needs help improving strength or fine motor skills.
- Communication problems – Brain injuries affect a patient’s ability to speak or understand spoken language, leaving them unable to communicate effectively with others.
Types of Compensation for Head and Brain Injuries
Someone who causes a truck accident leading to another person’s brain injury could be found liable in a personal injury claim. That party could owe that person money for their:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
How Can a Truck Accident Lawyer Help?
Receiving compensation in Maryland is complicated by the state’s harsh negligence laws, which can bar a claimant from recovering money if they share even one percent of the blame for a truck accident. With such a small margin for error, it’s essential to work with a tough truck accident lawyer who can fight unfair challenges from insurers. Turn to Trollinger Law LLC for a free consultation with an experienced brain injury lawyer.
