How a TBI Can Keep You from Earning a Living
After the pain has stopped and after medical treatment has ended for a traumatic brain injury (TBI), some people find that they still cannot successfully return to the life they once had. One of the more lasting effects of a TBI is that a victim may not be able work at the same job or even work at all.
TBI Complications Affecting Your Ability to Work
TBIs can touch many aspects1 of your life because the brain is such an important organ.
A TBI victim may experience the following cognitive impairments:
- Decreased attention span
- Memory problems
- Difficulty in comprehension
- Difficulty in prioritizing
- Misunderstanding abstract, complex or subtle information
- A TBI victim may experience the following physical difficulties:
- Fatigue
- Reduction in motor skills
- Speech impairments
- Chronic pain
- Balance trouble
A TBI victim may experience the following social or emotional troubles:
- Depression
- Loss of self-esteem
- Inability to control emotions
- Sense of losing one’s old self
- Stress management issues
Simply having any one of these complications can put an end to your career or chance at a career, and many TBI victims find themselves affected by multiple complications.
Damages for Your Losses
If you have not been able to work or not been able to hold down a job due to a TBI that was not your fault, Florida law provides that you can be compensated under a legal theory of damages called “loss of earning capacity.”
Loss of earning capacity seeks to address your lost power to earn money and support yourself. It will have to be proven in court that you can no longer earn a living to the extent you could before your brain injury. A doctor will examine you and give his or her opinion about how long your injuries will last and it is possible that some people will never entirely get over their injuries. Based on the doctor’s prognosis, an economic expert will look at your prior earnings and where you are in your career to determine how much in lost wages your TBI would cause.
For example, a recent college graduate working in an advertising office sustained a TBI. After an exam, a doctor states that he would not be able to work for five years and at that point, he would only be able to work at a lower paying job.
An economist would then look to see what other people in the advertising field would make over the course of a lifetime, taking into account the college degree and the relatively young age of the injured person.
Contact a Tampa Bay Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney Today
If you sustained a TBI and now have trouble working, the attorneys at the Dolman Law Group can help. Our attorneys are committed to seeing that you are fully compensated for your injuries, which includes your lost income.
The complications from TBIs can be difficult to understand. After all, you may look healthy and the effects of the injury can be invisible. The attorneys at our office know what you are going through and know how to present your injuries to the jury. We also have a network of experts who can determine how your TBI will affect your job prospects and earnings. Contact Dolman Law Group at 727-451-6900 today for a free initial consultation.
Dolman Law Group
800 North Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
727-451-6900
https://www.dolmanlaw.com/legal-services/brain-injury-attorneys/
