There is no denying that a traumatic brain injury is a life-altering event. The recent coverage of Gabriel Giffords’ miraculous survival of a traumatic brain injury highlights how fragile the brain is, and how difficult the road to recovery can be.
Fortunately, in the last ten years, doctors have learned a lot about how the brain responds to trauma, and have developed treatment and therapies to help the brain recover form severe injury. Many brain injury survivors attribute their survival and recovery to level one trauma centers, where doctors are capable of performing decompressive craniectomies— emergency surgeries that decrease swelling in the cranium. After emergency room care, brain injury victims face months of therapy to rebuild their brains. Therapy helps patients relearn how to walk, talk, read, and write – all skills they may have lost due to brain injury.
Assistance After On-the-Job Brain Injuries in Michigan
In many occupations, serious brain injury is a risk of that job. Workplace brain injuries might include a mild concussion or a traumatic injury, like that experienced by journalist Bob Woodruff while reporting in Iraq. Workers in occupations like construction, factory work, truckers, and the medical field may face increased risk of a brain injury on the job. In the case of workplace brain injury, it is important to understand what kinds of financial assistance are available.
The State of Michigans workers’ compensation laws cover all injuries and illnesses that are caused by or occur in the workplace, including brain injuries. Workers compensation benefits can be short or long-term, depending on the injury. Federal money is available through the Social Security Administration, which provides Social Security disability benefits to people who cannot work due to a medical condition that is expected to be long-term. Finally, the brain injury victim might have a personal injury claim against someone who caused the brain injury accident, such as a third-party installer, another driver who causes an accident while driving on the job or another negligent party.
Although recovering from brain injury is a long and difficult process, there are several sources of financial support that can help individuals get the medical care they need, and meet the challenges of day-to-day life after a brain injury.
