According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, a Texan suffers a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, every four minutes. These severe injuries, caused by a sudden impact or trauma to the head, can cause damage that lasts for years or even a lifetime. That damage may include neurological impairment and loss of motor, cognitive and other functions. Anyone suffering a blow to the head can be at risk of a TBI, but those most commonly affected include car accident victims, athletes, military personnel, and shaken babies. With around 500,000 Texans living with TBI-caused disabilities, the state offers a series of programs to help victims and families cope, including:

• Rehabilitation — Texas has a Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services program that helps TBI victims receive physical, cognitive and occupational therapy to assist their re-integration into home and community life.
• Information — Understanding brain injuries can be very difficult. The Texas Office of Acquired Brain Injury explains some of the relevant scientific information in understandable language.
• Family support — Though its functions are now being reassigned to another board, the Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council published a helpful pamphlet that advises families on some important first steps they can take when supporting a loved one with a brain injury.

Symptoms resulting from head injuries might not be immediately apparent. Frequently, in situations such as vehicle accidents, severe trauma to other parts of the body might cause a TBI to be overlooked. Other times the harm might derive not from one incident, but an accumulation of head impacts over a period of time. When pain or other possible TBI effects are present, it is crucially important to schedule a thorough medical evaluation as soon as possible.

If you or a loved one is suffering from a traumatic brain injury, Hope & Causey, P.C. can explain your legal rights under Texas law. From our offices in Conroe and Kenedy, we help all types of injury victims pursue compensation. Call us at 936-441-4673 or contact us online for a free initial consultation.