It may be difficult to decide to sue because you’ve been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence. Some injuries may not seem that bad ¾ the kind of thing you used to shake off.
However, some injuries can be costly — physically, emotionally and financially. Such injuries can even affect your social standing and reputation. This can happen with concussion and post-concussion syndrome, which can cause you to lose your ability to work and maintain social responsibilities. It’s important to understand concussion and seek medical treatment.
According to the Mayo Clinic, concussions are common and people are often unaware that they are injured. Concussions are caused by a blow to the head or by violent shaking. Contrary to popular belief, most of the time you do not lose consciousness. Symptoms of a concussion can include headache, confusion or amnesia around the event, dizziness, seeing “stars,” ringing in the ears and nausea.
Other symptoms are more serious, and can happen right away or be delayed by hours or days. These include:
- Memory and concentration problems
- Personality changes and irritability
- Odd tastes and smells
- Sleep problems
- Sensitivity to light and noises
- Psychological problems
Post-concussion syndrome can last for weeks, months or longer. This more serious condition doesn’t seem to be related to the severity of the original injury. The syndrome presents myriad symptoms, including personality changes, in which friends and family members may notice irritability, argumentativeness and suspiciousness. The suicides of former NFL stars Ray Easterling and Dave Duerson were both blamed on post-concussion syndrome.
If you can prove that your injury happened because of someone else’s intentional neglect, intent to do harm or failure to fix a dangerous situation, you may be eligible for monetary compensation because of their negligence.