Does Your Employer Understand Your Brain Injury?

Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are deceptively destructive injuries that can disrupt or even destroy a victim’s entire career and lead to conflicts within a victim’s community. Unlike other injuries that present visible or otherwise easily identifiable symptoms, mild TBIs often seem like nothing to those who do not understand the scope of difficulties that the injury creates.

If you suffered a blow to the head on the job, then you deserve excellent treatment and fair compensation for your lost wages and other considerations through a workers’ compensation claim and/or a third-party injury claim. Unfortunately, since many employers fail to understand exactly how serious mild TBIs are, they may pressure you to return to work sooner than you should, or they may object to providing full treatment and compensation through your claim.

Mild TBIs in the Workplace

The effects of mild TBIs include a broad range of symptoms, many of which influence victims’ behavior beyond their control. The brain is the control center for body functions, as well the seat of personality. When your brain suffers damage, the effects may impact you in a variety of ways — physically, emotionally and cognitively.

For an ignorant employer, the symptoms may look like immaturity or laziness, or that you simply do not care about the quality of your work or workplace cooperation. This is understandable if your employer does not realize how serious your injury is.

These symptoms may mean that you cannot concentrate on any one task for very long without growing irritable. You may also find that your temper is much shorter and more explosive than it was before the injury. In a professional setting, these symptoms can be exceptionally destructive.

Ongoing Difficulties

You may also experience ongoing difficulty understanding the meaning of the things you read or the conversations you have with others; it is also common to misinterpret things in communication. This may affect every relationship in your life, both at work and at home. You may also experience physical symptoms that include ongoing nausea and headaches or even seizures.

All of these symptoms can last up to a year or longer, even with professional treatment. Obviously, a year of frustrating communication and compromised ability to complete tasks can adversely affect your job, your family and your sense of self-worth.

You Are Not Alone

You may benefit from an experienced attorney to represent you in your claim and help your employer understand the severity of the injury. In some cases, an employer may find it easier to cooperate with your recovery once they are made to understand the seriousness of the matter and the complexity of the recovery ahead of you.

You deserve the time and space to fully heal from your injury. You don’t have to feel like you’re the only one fighting the battle for your recovery. With the help of an experienced attorney, you can focus on your recovery and rest assured that your rights and privileges remain protected.