Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common – and most serious – injuries motorcycle riders and their passengers suffer due to an accident. Even if you did everything you could to protect yourself by wearing a helmet, the impact of striking your head against the concrete or a barrier at a high rate of speed could still leave you with serious injuries, including a severe concussion or skull fracture leading to a TBI. The resulting complications are likely to change your life and your family’s lives in ways none of you ever expected or wanted, leading to devastating physical, emotional, mental, and financial losses.
Lasting damage from traumatic brain injuries
A TBI is a trauma-induced physiological disruption of brain function. Since motorcycle accidents frequently cause riders to be thrown from their bikes forcefully, it isn’t surprising that a large number of victims develop the symptoms of TBIs. And although motorcycle helmets provide significant protection from traumatic brain injury (approximately 67 percent effective), and are required to be worn by riders and their passengers in Los Angeles and throughout the state of California, they cannot guarantee that your safety from a TBI, especially if you’re in a collision while traveling at freeway speeds and struck by a larger vehicle or involved in a collision with an animal or other roadway impedance (e.g., debris that fell off a flatbed truck).
Unlike a simple fractured bone or road rash, a TBI is the kind of injury from which you may never fully recover. Approximately 5.3 million U.S. citizens have been permanently disabled due to traumatic brain injury. The most common long-term or permanent conditions stemming from TBIs include the following:
- Short-term or long-term memory loss, or inability to form new memories
- Behavioral or personality changes
- Inability to perform activities of daily living unassisted (e.g., bathing, dressing, etc.)
- Onset of Parkinson’s disease, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease
- Intellectual impairment
These and similar tragic outcomes leave a brain-injured motorcycle accident victim dependent on family and paid caregivers for the rest of their lives. Spouses often find they have lost the partnership and consortium of the person from before the accident, and children lose the guidance and support of a capable and loving parent. Adding to the pain and suffering of family members due to the TBI is the steep financial burden brought on by the loss of your income as the victim and their loss of income while caring for you. When compounded by ongoing medical bills, payments to caretakers, costs of equipping a home with assistive devices, and more, the losses can rapidly become unbearable without just compensation.
Seek justice with a Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney
If you or a loved one suffered a TBI in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California due to a motorcycle accident, don’t wait to speak to an experienced motorcycle lawyer. Contact Los Angeles attorney Scott J. Corwin at 866-477-1011 and schedule a complimentary free initial consultation to find out how to get the financial support you need while recovering from a traumatic brain injury.
