An important part of every patient’s traumatic brain injury recovery “team” is the Case Manager.   A case manager usually has a nursing background or is a counselor experienced with vocational rehabilitation programs.

A case manager is particularly helpful when the condition is a traumatic brain injury or a severe injury to the spinal cord. Here are some responsibilities of a case manager:

• Coordinating the overall treatment with multiple medical specialties including doctors and clinics.
• Locating the best doctors according to the victims’ specific needs.
• Scheduling doctors’ visits.
• Assistance with home renovation after the victim is released from the hospital, including building of ramps, procuring hospital beds, etc.
• Assisting the victim during recovery phase. Helping him to procure and use medical appliances like wheelchair, etc.
• Moderating discussions between the victim, his family and the health insurance company.
• Helping with all other services related to the victim’s post-hospitalization care, support, recovery and rehabilitation.

Under the Michigan No-Fault laws and the car insurance policy, a victim is entitled unlimited services from a case manager, except that the case management services that the victim is entitled to, must be relevant to his needs for recovery and rehabilitation.

It is common for the No-Fault insurance company to insist on a case manager of their choice. Since there are chances of conflict of interest, we recommend you to disregard this request. In fact, such case managers can jeopardize the chances of the victim getting complete medical treatment as well as other benefits.

For your information, the victim has every right to choose his own case manager instead of depending on the services of the case manager provided by the insurance company, to take care of his needs; like other medical benefits, the case manager can render services for as long as required.

Many times, the insurance companies  refuse to pay for these benefits. In case this happens to you, you have no other choice but to make a legal appeal so that the company pays for the services.  It is here that the Michigan car accident lawyers play a big role in getting your benefits paid.

Of all the accidents that cause traumatic brain injuries, those involving motorcycles are perhaps the most common.   The closed head injuries are usually serious, despite the biker wearing helmet and the rider has a higher risk of sustaining head injuries.   The worst part is that most of these injuries are caused by the negligence or callousness of some irresponsible person on the road.

While the surviving victim and his family get busy with the diagnosis and treatment of the condition, they usually forget to contact personal injury lawyers, who can provide the necessary help to the victim and his family to file claims for the damages, in case the accident has been caused due to another person’s negligence.

Any type of closed brain injury can cause irreparable damage to the life of the victim. Over and above the physical and emotional trauma which the victim suffers, the accident can impair him for life; break his family, marriage and relationships. It may cost him his job, leaving him unemployable for a considerable length of time.

The recovery of the victim of a traumatic motorcycle brain injury can take a long time. It involves huge expenses especially considering the long term care and medication costs involved for complete recovery.  The brain is not a simple organ and any damage sustained during a closed brain injury usually takes a long time to diagnose and treat.

Motorcycle accident victims can often obtain Michigan No-Fault Insurance Benefits to pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and other benefits for injuries suffered in the accident.  Many of these benefits are available for life.  In cases involving brain injuries, these benefits can pay for the necessary rehabilitation related to the recovery from the accident.

Today there are state-of-the-art treatment modules available which coach the surviving victim of a traumatic brain injury how to improve his social behavioral skills, including ways to interpret a seemingly complicated piece of communication. Several studies done on the subject report marked improvement in the social behavioral skills of victims of closed brain injury caused by motorcycle accidents.

If you thought closed brain injuries happened only to others, think again. The official statistics revealing the annual figure of mishaps resulting in traumatic brain injuries are alarming to say the least. 1.4 million people across all age groups suffer some form of traumatic brain injury every year in the United States. Of this, 50,000 people succumb to the closed brain injuries, and over 235,000 people are hospitalized.

In terms of life time costs including health care and wage loss involved in the treatment and rehabilitation of victims of traumatic brain injury in the US, it was estimated to be over $60 billion in 2000 alone.

Surviving a traumatic brain injury can entail enormous expenditure for the victim and his family for medical treatment as well as future rehabilitation. Many victims who suffer closed brain injuries remain incapacitated or in a vegetative state and are incapable of earning ever in their lives. The worst part is that most of the time the injuries are caused by the negligence or carelessness of a callous individual. If you are a surviving victim of a traumatic brain injury or have someone in your family who is, you need to seek legal help at the earliest opportunity.

Considering the huge monetary involvement in the care and support of the patient, the damages could be significant depending on jury verdicts and claim settlements.

How many people do you think are living with a traumatic brain injury in America today? Close to 5.3 million! Every year 1.1 million Americans suffering from traumatic brain injuries get admitted to the emergency room and subsequently released. Children 4 years and under are particularly susceptible to traumatic brain injuries. In a year, children succumbing to such closed brain injuries are close to 26, 85; 37,000 are hospitalized and 435,000 children are treated at emergency rooms across the country.

The age factor is an important risk-indicator to assess the vulnerability of the nation’s population to TBI or traumatic brain injury. Children of 14 years and younger and young people between 15 and 19 top the list in terms of vulnerability, closely followed by senior citizens over 75 years of age who need to be hospitalized or die as a result of the trauma.

Some other statistical information on traumatic brain injury:

• More singles (47%) fall in the risky group than married (32.5%) individuals.
• Males are more prone to suffer traumatic brain injury than women where African American women have the higher rate of death caused by TBIs. This group along with Native Americans and Alaskan Natives has a high rate of hospitalization.
• The two sporting activities identified as responsible for causing traumatic brain injuries are water sports (6498) and trampolines (6360)
• In terms of severity of traumatic brain injuries, 75% are considered to be mild and close to 70,000 victims of TBI suffer permanent damage.

Physicians and neuropsychologists classify brain injuires into specific categories.  The most serious classification is the severe brain injury.  The causes leading to a severe brain injury include a violent hit on the head, a fall, violent assault on the head, car or bike accidents and accidents during any sporting or recreational activity.

The intensity of the impact can pierce the skull injuring the underlying brain tissues. Severe brain injury can also happen when the car in which the victim is traveling either accelerates or decelerates suddenly, causing the brain to crash against the inside wall of the skull. Mass lesions like hematoma (blood clot in or on the surface of the brain) and contusions (laceration of brain tissues) are the usual internal damages of such traumatic events. These damage the message-transmitting neurons of the brain, impairs its normal functioning, leaving the victim disabled.

The typical symptom of a closed brain injury like that sustained in a severe brain injury is characterized by loss of consciousness and subsequent coma. The length of time during which the victim remains unconscious is a deciding factor of the severity of the trauma. Symptoms include:

• Pain in the head
• Feelings of giddiness, nausea and vomiting
• Lethargy
• Mentally perplexed
• Dilatation of pupils
• Vision impairment
• Leakage of cerebrospinal fluid through orifices like ears or nose
• Impairment of cognitive faculties
• Breathing problems
• Impairment of speech and verbal expression
• Swallowing  problems
• Alteration of mental and behavioral traits

Extent and speed of recovery would entirely depend on the severity of the condition. The degree of recovery as well as the time during which the patient remain unconscious in the first month after the trauma is indicative of complete recovery in the long run.

We all know that a trauma to the head can cause a closed head injury. We also know that the cost of medical expenses for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of a traumatic brain injury patient can reach enormous proportions depending on the severity of the condition.  Brain injuries are often placed into classifications and one such classification is the Moderate brain injury.

A Moderate brain injury is usually caused by a sudden and unexpected jerk or a bang on the head. Because the symptoms of a moderate brain injury remain hidden by other manifestations of a closed brain injury, the diagnosis of the specific condition is often delayed.

While the result of a sudden jerk on the head causes a traumatic brain injury, a moderate brain injury can also occur when the brain crashes against the inside wall of the skull. When does such an incident occur? Common situations include vehicular crash or collisions, falls, assault on the head or head injuries sustained during a sporting activity.

The symptoms of moderate brain injuries are usually not as clearly defined as those after severe traumatic brain injuries. The usual symptoms are often misleading since the victim may go about life normally, though feeling uncomfortable and unsettled inside. Some of the more common expressions of the condition include:

• Pain in the head
• Forgetfulness
• Lightheadedness
• Feelings of giddiness
• Lethargy
• Inability to focus on any issue
• Changes in overall mood and disposition

Treatment of moderate brain injury, a type of closed brain injury usually includes a multi-therapeutic approach. It includes a combination of neurosurgery and therapies to improve physical mobility, speech/language skills, occupational, psychological aspects and even social services. At the end of the day, most victims of moderate brain injuries recover and all aspects of their brain functions return to normal.