WHAT DAMAGES CAN SAN LUIS OBISPO VICTIMS RECOVER?

One of the primary questions that brain injury victims and their loved ones have after an accident involves recoverable damages. Legal compensation for injuries is about much more than getting paid in court. The potential losses that stem from injuries like these are tremendous; some families completely lose the ability to earn income after brain injury.

Victims must recognize their legal right to compensation. If you or somebody close to you has suffered a brain injury due to another party’s negligence, you may be eligible to recover the costs of:

• Medical bills | Past, present, and future medical bills associated with the brain injury are all eligible for compensation. This includes medical bills for specialized services, emergency transport (if applicable), etc.
• Pain and suffering | Brain injuries can act as a catalyst for immense pain and suffering. If you’ve experienced a life-altering injury and find the emotional load too heavy to bear, the legal system may award compensation to account for pain and suffering
• Lost wages (or earning potential) | Some brain injuries may lead to an individual needing time off of work. If this is short-term, that individual may be able to recover lost wages. If the victim’s long-term earning potential is altered (say they work a physical job, have no formal education, and become paralyzed) they may also be eligible for compensation for lost earning potential
• Disability | Unfortunately, brain injuries can and do lead to disability. Personal injury cases that result in disability generally involve discussion of compensation for this fact

HOW BRAIN INJURIES DAMAGE DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR BRAINS

You might remember seeing graphics of the human brain segmented into different colors and lobes.

• There are four lobes on each side of the human brain
  • Frontal
  • Temporal
  • Parietal
  • Occipital
• Each lobe controls a different segment of our bodies
• The location of a brain injury can determine how the injury affects the victim

THE FRONTAL LOBE

Our frontal lobes allow us to perform on a cognitive level. Any problem-solving or emotional expression you experience stems from here. It’s one reason why damage to the frontal lobe can change a victim’s life so drastically. Think of the frontal lobe like the control panel for our brains. Voluntary movements, sequencing, judgment, and a range of other processes rely on it.

Brain injuries that occur in the frontal lobe can have a serious impact on victims. Those who endure frontal lobe damage may find it difficult to make decisions, engage in sexual behavior, and communicate on a verbal level.

THE TEMPORAL LOBE

The temporal lobe plays two key roles: It processes sound and it houses our speech and language comprehension systems. Object categorization, facial recognition, and other similar tasks are all completed here. TBI victims who suffer damage to the temporal lobe may lose some understanding of spoken words or talk excessively. Others may begin to act more aggressively or erratically.

THE PARIETAL LOBE

Parietal lobes integrate sensory information. Without parietal lobes, humans would have no functionality to actually perform the physical actions that we want to. Spatial orientation is controlled here—so are hand-eye coordination, visual attention capabilities, and the ability to name objects. Parietal lobe injury victims may struggle to understand how things feel, name objects, or determine left from right.

THE OCCIPITAL LOBE

Scientists refer to the occipital lobe as the brain’s visual processing center. Its primary purpose—experts believe—is to control our vision. This has been known for quite some time. Some recent developments, however, have led the scientific community to a realization: our occipital lobes receive input from all over our brains and bodies. Experts don’t know exactly what this means, but they know it’s an indication that the occipital lobe does more than visual processing.

Regardless, most occipital lobe injuries have similar results. The most common amongst these include various vision defects. These could range from total blindness to distorted vision or difficulty identifying colors. In some cases, victims may suffer visual hallucinations.

THE CEREBELLUM

While the cerebellum is not included in our official count of lobes of the brain, it plays a crucial role in how our brains function. It controls how we use our bodies and even how they grow. If you needed to reach in front of you to pick up a salt shaker off of a table, your cerebellum would allow you to reach your arm out and wrap your fingers around the shaker.

A damaged cerebellum could mean balance troubles and an overall decrease in motor movement coordination. In some, this manifests as poor distance judgment or spatial reasoning. Other cerebellum injury victims may experience staggering, tremors, and other similar inconsistent bodily movements.