Brain Injuries and Children: Hidden Costs
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. Some injuries have the potential to be more severe than others and traumatic brain injuries have the potential to be completely life-altering. When this injury involves a child, the potential is even more severe because the brain is still developing and this course can go astray with a neurological insult. A recent review article looked at the numerous costs that are involved with a brain injury involving a child.
An Overview: Statistics on Brain Injury
Brain injuries have been a focus of medicine for a number of years because of the permanent problems that they can cause. Unfortunately, brain injuries still happen too often. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Almost 25 out of every 100,000 children will suffer some form of brain injury.
- In 2010, brain injuries cost the country’s healthcare system over $75 billion.
- The hospitalization costs related to brain injuries accounted for 90 percent of this cost.
- The most common cause of death related to a brain injury is from a car accident.
- The most common cause of brain injuries overall is slip and fall injuries.
- Shaken Baby Syndrome is the most common cause of a brain injury related to abuse.
Because a child’s brain is still developing, these brain injuries are of particular concern.
Mechanisms of Damage: Brain Injuries in Children
A traumatic brain injury in a child is a serious issue that can lead to substantial damage down the road. There are several different ways that these serious injuries can occur. These include:
Sports: Contact sports can cause a child to be diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. Children who play football are at particular risk due to the contact nature of the sport. It is important to wear the proper safety gear whenever someone is playing contact sports.
Auto Accidents: As mentioned above, children can also sustain symptoms of traumatic brain injuries if they are involved in an auto accident. There is no seat belt to restrain the head. Without this restraint, it is easy for a child to strike their head on the window or dashboard.
If a child has a serious brain injury, there are significant costs that a family can incur as a result.
Limitless Costs Associated with Neurological Damage
Recently, a review article was published detailing just where these costs can come from. Most people who have suffered a medical injury, such as a bone fracture, know that the cost of a hospital stay is significant. They may also think that insurance is going to cover these costs; however, many plans have large deductibles and coinsurance. Other costs that a family could have to pay include:
Loss of Work Income: If a child is seriously injured, a parent may have to miss work for an extended period of time to help take care of them.
Rehabilitation Appointments: Many children with brain injuries may have to go to prolonged physical therapy, which can become extremely costly for a family.
Medication Costs: While health insurance may help to pay for medications for a short period of time, many plans have a lifetime maximum. Families may have to pay for everything out of pocket when this maximum is reached.
Continuing Costs: If a child does not make a full recovery from their brain injury, parents could have to take care of their child for the rest of their life.
Help is Available
This type of situation can be stressful for families who are trying to cover the cost of this injury financially. While insurance might help to some extent, families who have to take care of a child with a chronic problem will eventually have to find other ways to shoulder this burden. This is where speaking with an experienced Sacramento Traumatic Brain Injury lawyer can be helpful.
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Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. If you have concerns about your child’s brain injury, please call me for free, friendly advice at 916. 921.6400 or 800. 404.5400.
I am honored to be recognized as a Sacramento Injury Lawyer in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Please take a look at my verdicts & settlements here.
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