How Can a Traumatic Brain Injury Make It Difficult to Work?
Suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in an accident can be life-changing. The long-term and permanent consequences of a brain injury can make it difficult or impossible to return to your normal routines, including returning to work. Even if you have savings or short-term disability to cover your bills and living expenses while you recover, you may never be able to return to your job.
TBI can affect your ability to work and your employment opportunities in several ways:
- Memory Problems — One of the areas of the brain that can be damaged by TBI is the area that allows you to store short-term and long-term memories. Your processing skills and short-term memory are crucial for working. If you cannot remember conversations, names, faces, or instructions, it can be difficult to hold a job.
- Impaired Mobility — A TBI can also impact your physical abilities. You could have trouble with balance, coordination, and speed. In some cases, a victim of a brain injury could be confined to a wheelchair or experience partial paralysis in his arms and hands.
- Problems Communicating — A TBI or other brain injury can cause problems with verbal skills. You may not be able to communicate effectively with customers, clients, employees, or co-workers. If people have a tough time understanding what you say or what you mean, it can make working extremely difficult.
- Higher Level Executive Functions — Executive functions include your ability to concentrate, multitask, solve problems, plan, and organize. It also includes self-awareness, learning, and flexible thinking. These functions are crucial for most jobs.
- Visual Impairments — Some TBIs can impact your visual perception. You might have trouble recognizing different objects, shapes, or pictures. Visual impairments can impact your ability to perform certain tasks and work at particular jobs.
There could be other conditions caused by the TBI that affect your ability to return to work or to work in another industry. If you are unable to work after a brain injury, you might be entitled to recover compensation for your lost wages by filing a personal injury claim.
Filing a Traumatic Brain Injury Claim
If another party caused your TBI, you might be able to recover your lost income from that party by filing an injury claim. When someone causes an accident through negligence, careless, or recklessness, that party can be held liable for any damages arising from the accident, including the loss of income.
In addition to recovering the income you lost from the time of the accident until your doctor released you, you might also be able to recover additional money for loss of income. For example, if the brain damage caused by the accident results in your inability to work because of permanent disabilities, you might be entitled to a reward for future lost wages.
Alternately, if you can return to work, but the TBI has made it impossible for you to return to the same job or earn the same level of income, you might also have a claim for loss of earning capacity. A loss of earning capacity claim covers the amount of money you could have earned had you not be injured to the income you are now capable of earning with your injury.
Call for a Free Consultation to Discuss Your Brain Injury Claim
Damages in a brain injury claim can be difficult to calculate, especially if your claim includes future lost wages or loss of earning capacity. In many cases, you need to hire financial experts to estimate the losses. Our Fresno brain injury attorneys have the resources and experience to handle brain injury claims.
Call Torem & Associates at (888) 500-5000to schedule your no-obligation case evaluation with one of our California TBI attorneys.
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