Severe Injury FAQ

What emotional difficulties are family and friends of a severe injury victim likely to face?

How do doctors determine the amount of brain damage following a head injury?

Is it possible to fully recover from a brain injury?

What will my attorney look for in a case of birth injury medical malpractice?

What is the difference between a complete and incomplete spinal cord injury?

What emotional difficulties are family and friends of a severe injury victim likely to face?

In dealing with a loved one’s severe injury you may encounter a myriad of emotions:

• Feelings of guilt or responsibility for not having somehow prevented the accident

• Denial or disbelief that the injury is as severe as the doctors say it is

• Anger directed at the negligent person, the physicians, and others

• Shock, a feeling of numbness or emotional detachment

If you’re in this position, you might consider getting some counseling to help you better deal with your loved one’s injury, and to support you while the healing progresses to whatever extent it can.

How do doctors determine the amount of brain damage following a head injury?

Specialized testing allows brain injury specialists to identify which area(s) of the brain have suffered trauma. Some of these tests are:

• CT scan – (Computer Aided Tomography), which uses X-rays to form images of body tissue

• EEG – (Electro-Encephalogram), where many electrodes are placed on the head to pick up the tiny electrical impulses generated by brain cells. It records patterns and abnormalities.

• BAER – (Brain Stem Auditory Evoked Response), tests hearing and neurological impairment. It picks up the brain waves and any changes in them.

• MRI – (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), which uses radio waves and magnets to construct a computer image of body tissue, where different types of tissue are demarcated

Because brain tissue is so densely packed and contains so many different functions, every brain injury is pretty much unique. Much is still unknown about brain function also, and recovery or lack of it can be hard to predict. This means that defining a brain injury in exact language is often hard to do.

Is it possible to fully recover from a brain injury?

Yes. In the immediate aftermath of the injury, recovery can be speedy. Then it slows down and may take many months or even a year or more to complete. Recovery from brain injury is hard to predict, since these injuries are so specific to each individual, and the brain is still not fully understood.

When a person is in a coma after the injury, it’s difficult to know when they might wake from that coma. The extremes are:

• Full recovery – which may be quick or slow

• Persistent vegetative state – where the person may open their eyes but never again interact with their surroundings

This is a wide continuum of outcomes and patience is required.

What will my attorney look for in a case of birth injury medical malpractice?

Your birth injury lawyer will look for as many sources of information as possible, such as:

• All medical records, both for the mother during her pregnancy, and for the child during birth and afterwards

• All medical personnel involved in the pregnancy and birth

• Any witnesses to the pregnancy such as the baby’s father or other relatives, and anyone who has cared for the baby

Some of the questions to be answered will be:

• Did your doctor identify and diagnose potentially harmful conditions?

• Did your doctor order the proper tests to ensure the baby’s safety?

• Did your labor team take steps to ensure the baby received necessary oxygen?

• Did your doctor use intervention to address dangerous conditions?

• Did your team apply accurate fetal monitoring?

• Did your medical team respond to or reverse signs of fetal distress properly?

• Should a C-section have been ordered to prevent harm to the baby?

What is the difference between a complete and incomplete spinal cord injury?

A complete spinal cord injury is one where the person has no feeling or movement below the level of the injury. The spinal cord has been injured to the point where it can’t any longer send messages from below that level up to the brain, or from the brain to anywhere below that level.

So if the injury is high on the spinal cord, more of the body experiences paralysis or loss of sensation.

An incomplete spinal cord injury is one where the person retains some sensation and movement below the level of the injury. This can be different for each injury. There may be some sensation or movement retained on one side of the body only. Or there may be just certain areas on both sides where these are retained.