Posted by the Charleston SC Car Accident Lawyers at Anderson & Schuster, Attorneys at Law, LLC. Our Charleston injury lawyers help people that have been injured by the acts or omissions of others. If you or a loved one has suffered an unnecessary injury in Charleston, North Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Summerville, Goose Creek, or anywhere else across the South Carolina lowcountry, contact our office and let us get to work for you.
In our last post, Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), we discussed symptoms commonly associated with mild and sever Traumatic Brain Injuries. To review, these symptoms include, but are not limited to: loss of consciousness, headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, sensitivity to light or sound, memory or concentration problems, mood swings, depression, anxiety, convulsions, seizures, dilation of one or both pupils, clear fluids draining from nose or ears, weakness or numbness in fingers and toes, profound confusion, agitation, and slurred speech. As was discussed in our last post, these symptoms can begin to show up immediately following a head injury or may develop even days later. It is recommended to seek emergency medical attention if you have suffered a head injury and are exhibiting any of the symptoms mentioned above.
We previously discussed that two of the most common ways that Traumatic Brain Injuries occur are through automobile collisions and falls. Because our injury attorneys handle these types of cases, we would like to inform our potential clients about what they might be facing following a Traumatic Brain Injury. A significant initial concern that we see continuously in our practice is a client’s desire to recover compensation for their medical bills associated with the injury they sustained. In a case that involves a Traumatic Brain Injury, these medical costs can be extremely high. The CORE Health Foundation commissioned a study that examined TBI in Texas and estimated that Traumatic Brain Injury causes $6.8 billion worth of economic trauma in terms of deaths, emergency room visits, hospitalizations and disability in Texas each year. Put another way, the economic trauma caused by TBI each year was equal to Coca-Cola’s corporate profit for their 2009 fiscal year.
According to the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina, Traumatic Brain Injuries are the number one cause of death for people age 1 to 44 years in South Carolina. The association estimates that there are approximately 61,000 people living in South Carolina with a Traumatic Brain Injury related disability. To address the economic impact that Traumatic Brain Injuries have, the CORE study estimated that Traumatic Brain Injuries resulted in 119,500 emergency room visits each year in Texas, which resulted in an annual cost of $740 million dollars annually. Additionally, TBI prompts 22,000 hospitalizations each year in Texas, leading to a yearly cost of approximately $623 million. These amounts equate to an average emergency room visit costing $6,192.46 and the average hospitalization costing $28,318.18.
If you or a loved one has suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, it is important to understand what you will be facing. As you have seen, the cost of medical care can be extremely high. However, what some people do not understand is the needs that those who have been affected by a Traumatic Brain Injury will have for the remainder of their lives. A Traumatic Brain Injury will affect many aspects of the lives both the people injured and their family and friends. In addition to expensive initial hospitalization costs, extensive physical therapy may be needed to help regain even very basic functions like walking or being able to grip something. This physical therapy can take a long time and can be very expensive. Others will require medical assistance in their homes or at a nursing facility, which can also be very costly. The CORE study estimated that nearly half of all TBI-related hospitalizations in Texas result in long-term or lifelong disabilities, resulting in $1.3 billion worth of annual expenses. This equates to an average yearly expense of $118,181.82 for each person that is left with a disability resulting from a Traumatic Brain Injury.
Please understand that there are many additional factors that become relevant when handling a case involving someone who has experienced catastrophic injuries. It is our goal to provide our clients with compassionate legal representation that will help someone who has experienced a very serious injury recover from an at-fault party for the injuries they have sustained to compensate them for what they have experienced and will continue to experience for the rest of their lives.
Sources: CORE Health Foundation, Brain Injury Association of South Carolina
Our auto accident attorneys are here to help those injured in car, truck and motorcycle accidents in Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville, Goose Creek, Hanahan, James Island, West Ashley, Isle of Palms, Sullivans Island, Folly Beach, Johns Island, Ladson, Awendaw, McClellanville, Moncks Corner and across South Carolina.
