Your brain is one of the most critical organs your body has. Your brain controls your lungs, heart, movement, thoughts, and feelings, among many other things, to keep you alive and functioning. This is why traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can be devastating to your body and severely impact your life. Car crashes are one of the biggest causes of TBIs and can result in long-term complications, including comas.
If you or a family member has suffered a coma due to a car accident, you do not have to suffer alone. A skilled and qualified car accident attorney can help you navigate the legal process to help ensure you can collect the maximum compensation available to cover current and future medical expenses.
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How Can a TBI From a Car Accident Result in a Coma?
Car accidents can cause the head to swing back and forth unnaturally or be hit by foreign objects such as glass or metal. This can cause severe and traumatic injuries to the brain, known as TBIs. If the injury damages certain areas of the brain, the nervous system cannot send signals to the rest of the body, causing prolonged unconsciousness. This is either due to the swelling of brain tissues or a chemical reaction in the brain caused by the injury. If your loved one has been unconscious for longer than one hour, they have likely fallen into a coma. Some signs of comas include:
- Decreased brain stem activity
- Pupils that do not respond to light
- Inability to move limbs aside from basic reflexes
- No pain response
- Irregular breathing patterns
Typically, comas last for a few weeks to a year, and patients tend to regain consciousness as their brain heals from the injury. However, in some cases, a person may never wake up and fall into a persistent vegetative state. While it is unlikely that patients that have been in a coma for over one year will wake up, it is not impossible.
The Costs of Treating a Coma Patient
The expenses of caring for a coma patient can be extreme due to weeks, months, or years of overnight hospital stays. The estimated cost of caring for a patient in a persistent vegetative state is almost $150,000 for the first three months of care. This number does not include lost wages, medication, or second opinions. Depending on the length of the coma or the patient’s life expectancy in the vegetative state, you could be facing millions of dollars in expenses to care for your loved one.
However, if the car accident occurred due to someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible to recover damages to ease the financial burden. It is essential to partner with an experienced personal injury attorney that can advocate for you and your loved one and help you determine what damages you may be able to recover. You may be eligible for compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more.
Schedule a Free Case Review with a Skilled Houston Car Accident Attorney
Suffering from a traumatic brain injury and subsequent coma is a devastating experience for the patient and their loved ones. If you or a family member has fallen into a coma due to a car accident, the experienced attorneys at Sutliff & Stout are here to help. Our attorneys are committed to helping clients across Texas protect their rights and receive the compensation they need to move their lives forward. Call our office today at (713) 987-7111 or fill out our contact form to schedule a free and confidential case review.
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