Even if you always restrain your children in size-appropriate car seats, you never can eliminate their chances of suffering a traumatic brain injury during a motor vehicle accident. Therefore, if a young passenger hits his or her head during a crash, you should go to the emergency room immediately for a complete evaluation.
Pediatric brain injuries are all too common in the U.S. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 20,000 kids required hospitalization for TBI in 2019 alone. In 2020, more than 2,700 children died because of brain injuries. For these reasons alone, it is not hard to see why pediatric brain injuries are so concerning.
Children may not be able to communicate
If you suffer an injury, your command of the English language allows you to tell doctors about your symptoms. Your children may not have the same luxury. Indeed, if a young child suffers a potentially catastrophic TBI, you may have to monitor his or her behavior to know something is terribly wrong. Even worse, you may not realize there is a problem until your child misses some future developmental milestone.
Children’s brains are continuing to develop
Even with treatment and rehabilitation, a pediatric TBI can cause your child to have personality changes, learning difficulties and other life-changing consequences.
According to BrainFact.org, mild pediatric TBIs are as worrisome as their more serious counterparts. This is because developing brains can have worse outcomes for even minor brain injuries. Alarmingly, these injuries may continue to worsen throughout life, as they may have forever changed the way the young brain normally functions.
Ultimately, by pursuing financial compensation from the person who is responsible for your child’s brain injury, you are certain to have the resources you need to obtain the care your son or daughter needs to thrive.
