Each year, researchers come closer to understanding the effects that repeated concussions and other brain injuries have on football players over the course of their lives. Of course, these long-term effects are at issue for anyone who sustains significant traumatic brain injury (TBI) from any type of accident.

Each Los Angeles injury lawyer at our firm regularly helps accident victims pursue compensation that covers the expenses that may occur over a lifetime due to severe TBI. However, when deficits are not immediately apparent after sustaining head injuries, the legal cases can become significantly more complex.

Mild TBI Has Been Called a Silent Epidemic

Few individuals view occasional absent-mindedness or forgetting a word as cause for concern, even after they have sustained an earlier head injury. Unfortunately, they are also unlikely to notice when these symptoms become more frequent, particularly when an accident resulted in a bump on the head that seemed to call for no more than an ice pack.

According to an article published by San Jose Mercury News, even long after an injury occurs, the following minor (but increasing) symptoms are not uncommon:

• Forgetfulness
• Poor decision making
• Increased fatigue
• Clumsiness that may lead to additional accidents
• Emotional changes

While many minor head injuries fully heal without future adverse effects, these are all signs that a bump might have caused significant long-term deficits. One article published by the International Brain Injury Association says that mild TBI has been termed a silent epidemic that can lead to physical and mental impairments that can make normal life and employability challenging.

All Head Injuries Should Be Taken Seriously

Since symptoms may occur long after an outward injury has healed, victims may not link their issues with the original head injury. In fact, even if they seek medical attention once they notice symptoms, the link to the accident may still not be apparent — particularly if they fail to mention the earlier injury to the doctor.

Perhaps the best advice is to seek immediate medical attention for any head injury, regardless of the severity. This is the time when doctors know the most about an accident and use appropriate diagnostic methods to uncover signs of more serious injuries than may be apparent on the surface. Even if no adverse effects are found immediately after an accident, medical records will increase the need for doctors to raise questions during later medical visits.

Of course, the most important concern pertains to accident victims' continuing health. Still, once long-term deficits are discovered, the related expenses can be substantial, especially if victims can no longer work or require caregiver support. When the negligence of other parties caused the initial head injury, it may be possible to seek compensation from those parties, even when the deficits are first discovered after the statute of limitations expires.

Even when an accident causes head injuries that do not initially seem severe, a call to The Rudman Law Firm can provide important advice on what to do — and what records to retain — after the injury. In the event that additional expenses arise at a later date, pre-informed accident victims have a better chance of pursuing compensation down the road. To learn how we can help, call us at (844) 478-3626 / (844) 4RUDMAN, at our Los Angeles office at (213) 375-3777 or at our Studio City office (818) 769-6969.